Iridescent Wings
by SharpenedMoonlight
Summary: Falkner's a new gym leader, and Morty somehow trains Falkner. Although they have a rocky start, the two eventually develop feelings for eachother. MortyXFalkner Honorshipping YAOI. Rated M for later chapters. 'M' in title means M content in the chapter.
1. Filling the Shoes Left Before Me

Iridescent Wings Morty/Falkner

By **Sharpened Moonlight**,

Rated: NC-17 (Mainly for Later Chapters)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokemon, including it's games, movies, tv series, merchandise, and anything else of that sort. If I did, maybe some of the new pokemon wouldn't suck so much.

Episode 1: Filling the Shoes Left Before Me

_In this world, there are mystical beings known to us as pokemon. These pokemon can bring joy and purpose into a person's life, become life-long friends and partners, and can do incredible things for their loving masters. Over time, pokemon training has become an even bigger fad than anyone could've predicted, as it has become an irrevocable aspect of the country, in every region and every town. Thus, the Pokemon League has gained incredible power and influence in today's society. Scattered over eight various towns in each region are pokemon gyms, places solely dedicated to the battling of pokemon between trainers of all walks of life. Each of these eight gyms are entrusted to a single trainer, that person becoming the gym leader, devoting their entire life to testing the trainers that choose to challenge them, giving victorious trainers badges to eternally attest to their strength, intelligence, and love of pokemon. This is the reason that the Pokemon League exists._

* * *

><p>When a successful gym exists for as long as the bird-type one in Violet City does, it becomes the town's pride and joy. So when a leader retires, the brief period between leaders is a devastatingly sorrowful period. It is even more so if the leader dies unexpectedly, as happened a year ago to the aforementioned city. But after a year of quiet and dull existence, the city was finally reclaiming its position among the Johto Pokemon League as the Violet City Bird Pokemon Gym.<p>

Slowly, a blue-haired teen walked into the building that would be called his workplace and secondary home for most likely the rest of his very existence. Each step made a loud echo through the deserted gym. Falkner surveyed his surroundings, feeling quite insignificant and unqualified for the job that he had been thrust into. The gym was far from unfamiliar to him, but he was used to seeing it as a sort of play area, watching his father defend the pride of Violet and its winged guardians. But now, it was up to him to protect Violet City's honor as the new gym leader in place of his father.

_Father_. The thought created a tear in Falkner's eye as he thought back to the man that had been his idol for almost all of his short fifteen years of existence. Though he was alone, the teen quickly wiped away the tear, disappointed that they span of a year couldn't prepare him for the nostalgia of returning to where his father had lived as the Violet City Gym Leader, the representative of the town.

Turning on the lights, a shine illuminated the dusty forgotten building. Moving over to the control panel, Falkner examined the machinery of the gym's maze and traps. Everything seemed to be fully operational, so Falkner deemed his maintenance done for now and shut off the moving machines. Shuffling into the back room of the gym, he went to a desk with a container beside it that held six pokeballs. Only four of the six were currently in use, and only two of those four were occupied at the moment. These would be his partners in his efforts to succeed his father and preserve his good name. Falkner grabbed one of the familiar pokeballs and examined it apprehensively for a moment. Tossing the red and white sphere into the air, he called his father's former partner's name and watched as a red light outlined a well-known figure. The bird shot out from the light and lowered itself to the ground, glancing at the boy.

"Okay Pidgeot," the teen said, brushing his cobalt bangs aside. "You ready to start your first day back in business?"

The bird let out a cry of agreement and shot into the air above Falkner as the duo exited the gym. After locking the door firmly behind him, Falkner slid his bag over his shoulders and adjusted his wristbands.

As the bird pokemon descended in front of the boy, Falkner slowly hopped up on the nostalgic feathered back of the strong and beautiful pokemon. The bird shuffled for a moment, reacquainting itself to having a passenger. Falkner patted its incredibly soft plumage reassuringly and the bird turned its head to its master, awaiting his orders.

"Well, I guess we'd better get going if we don't wanna be late to our first meeting with the Pokemon League!"

With that, Pidgeot lifted its powerful wings and took off, soaring high up into the sky toward Ecruteak.

* * *

><p>A man looked up as the Pidgeot and its trainer descended toward the ground, though most of the passerby just continued their daily routines without pause. Touching ground beside the Pokemon Center, Falkner climbed down from the bird and surveyed the surroundings of Ecruteak. Its surroundings seemed even more somber than Violet's, which he found slightly surprising. Although he had been to Ecruteak City several times as a child with his father, this was the first time in several years that he had been to the city. The leader aptitude tests were at a different location, so Falkner hadn't seen the historic dwelling in a long while. The same went for the leaders. It had been ages since he had seen the faces of any of his soon to be coworkers, not that he knew any of them on a personal basis anyway. The boy paused for a minute and wondered how many gyms had changed leaders since he was last in Ecruteak. He hoped that he wouldn't be the only kid there. Then, calling to Pidgeot, he walked through town to the Johto Pokemon League meeting building that stood on the outskirts of the old town.<p>

* * *

><p>"Ah! It's been a while, Falkner! How's the mother doing?"<p>

"Man! Last time I saw you must've been six years ago! You're growing like a weed"

"Finally stepping up to fill the old man's shoes, I see. Good for you."

Falkner walked through the doors hearing comments like that from people who he either very vaguely remembered or didn't know at all. Shaking hands and answering politely, Falkner worked his way through the crowd as he tried to ignore as many people as he could. His initial plan was to be as inconspicuous as possible to avoid meaningless chatter from people who he couldn't care less about. But that plan fell apart as soon as he entered the building and was spotted by a long-time friend of his father's.

The reason behind Falkner's actions weren't simply because he was antisocial. Yes, he was claustrophobic, and yes, he wasn't exactly a social Butterfree. But his real motivation was because he wanted to avoid as many thoughts of his father as possible. Something he never understood was how adults were always comparing kids to their parents. Just because the children were a product of their parents didn't mean that they had to be exactly like them. He hated it when people equated him to his father. Falkner loved his father very much, but he was not him, nor had he ever attested to be. Falkner was his own individual, nobody else. But for some reason everyone always insists on having him measure up to his father. And the fact that he had taken up his father's profession didn't help with this dilemma.

Walking into the meeting room, Falkner saw that he was one of the last to arrive. Out of the eight seats designated for the leaders, five of them were already taken. Falkner looked around cautiously, examining his fellow gym leaders as they examined him. The teen was surprised by the amount of younger people there, releasing a sigh of relief that he wasn't the only kid there. As he glanced around at the various members, he noted two teens that only looked a few years older than he was. As Falkner moved to sit down in one of the chairs, he yelped when he nearly sat down on a small purple-haired young boy. Check that, _SIX_ of the eight chairs were already taken.

* * *

><p>The meeting began with only seven leaders, much to Falkner's surprise. He wondered what was wrong that a spot should be empty. After thinking a bit, he realized that as a leader he should probably make more of an effort to be well informed, and that he probably didn't do enough work in preparation. He didn't even know which leaders were from which towns, or even what one or two of the gyms had as their type. There was this fat, loud, obnoxious man that wouldn't shut up. Falkner remembered someone similar to him as a leader when he was just a child, but he couldn't tell who this was, or if this was the same person. Looking at the man's burly demeanor and loud voice, he could tell that the man didn't run a normal-type gym, and probably was a physical type, maybe fighting or rock. The little kid Falkner nearly sat on earlier wouldn't shut up about bugs, and even had a net with him, so the bird user was able to deduce that he probably ran the bug-type gym in Azalea. At first Falkner didn't believe that the boy, Bugsy, could possibly be a gym leader. He looked about eight and had seemed to have the intelligence of a Slowpoke when it came to anything other than bug pokemon. It made Falkner a little depressed that a kid seven years younger than him could be a gym leader, and that Bugsy had been a gym leader for a little over a year now. Pryce, he remembered, was the old man sitting to the right of him. He had visited Mahogany Town's gym once before and nearly been killed by the crazy old coot and his ice pokemon. The geezer didn't seem to remember Falkner, and the teen couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. Beside Pryce was this high-maintenance and temperamental woman in rather provocative clothing. She kept arguing with the loud man, which only seemed to fuel his rants more. The woman looked like she would castrate someone with a rusty buttering knife if they ever even looked at her the wrong way, so Falkner took special care to never look her in the eye.<p>

The two people that were slightly older than Falkner sat beside each other. The boy gazed amusedly at the conflict and chuckled. No matter how hard Falkner tried, he couldn't read the boy at all, so he left it at that. The girl beside him looked like a bleeding heart, and Falkner couldn't tell if she wanted to hug cute little animals or jump off of a cliff because she couldn't stand the fighting pair across the table from her.

The meeting was fairly uneventful. The jovial old man that ran the group, calling himself Naoto, claimed to be a former gym leader of Ecruteak several decades ago. He introduced Falkner to the group as Falkner gave an improvised speech that he wasn't aware that he was supposed to give. The teen couldn't help but notice that the older boy kept staring at him intently with a smirk. After listening to many boring legalities, reports for that month, and statistics, Falkner was about to die of boredom. As Naoto finally ended the meeting, the Violet City gym leader shot up out of his chair, ready to leave.

Suddenly, a rumble was heard from down the hall and the doors were shoved open as a pink haired girl about Falkner's age ran through the doors, passing Falkner and accidentally running the boy over. Falkner crashed to the floor and the girl didn't even seem to notice.

"OHMYGOD I'm _soooooo_ sorry!" she yelled. "I'm so sorry I'm late! I was held up at the gym preparing for things and lost track of time!" Falkner glared from the floor at the Pink-Haired Wonder. _Gym_? So _she_ was the other gym leader? Really? You've got to be kidding.

"Hi everyone!" the girl beamed cheerfully, turning and waving at the unexpectedly quiet crowd. "My name's Whitney! I'm 14 and the new gym leader of Goldenrod! I hope to have lots of fun with all of you!"

Falkner stumbled to his feet, grumbling. Whitney, huh? He needed to remember to watch out for that psycho chick. What was up with all the crazy people being gym leaders? First Pryce, then the loud guy, and then the scary woman, and now this surprisingly strong weird haired girl. Falkner didn't know if he could handle this job…

Suddenly another rumble was heard down the hall and a Miltank burst through the doorway and sent Falkner flying in the opposite direction, colliding with another body.

"Oh Miltank! I'm so glad you found me! Sorry I couldn't wait, but we were already so late!"

Ok. Falkner _knew_ he couldn't handle the job…

"Wow, you're a feisty one, aren't you?" the older boy chucked from above Falkner. The blue haired teen looked at where his hand had landed to catch himself. It was smack in the middle of the boy's crotch.

With a scream, Falkner retracted his hand and jumped away.

"Y'know, I really didn't mind it there, you can put it back if you want. Just let me take my pants off first so it makes it a little easier for you.

Falkner shrieked as he felt something behind him slowly push him back down toward the boy. As he turned around he saw it was a Gastly that had randomly appeared. Ghosts. Dear God, not ghosts! This was the Ecruteak gym leader!

With another shove, Falkner was falling down back to the boy's crotch. Horrified, Falkner saw that the boy was serious and actually _HAD_ unzipped his pants. Seeing everything in slow motion, Falkner tried to turn away, but it was too late. Falling face first, his cheek landed directly on the Ecruteak gym leader's manhood.

Things went silent as Falkner's brain exploded. The other boy laughed at the sight of the younger one's face, which was as red as humanly possible.

Piecing his brain back together, it finally registered to Falkner exactly what was sticking into his cheek. With an ear-piercing scream, Falkner jumped up and sprinted away from the half-naked man, running directly into a wall.

As the group gathered around the seemingly unconscious boy from Violet City, one fact was blatantly obvious to him.

Well, his first Johto Pokemon League meeting did not go well.

And that was the biggest understatement of the century.

End of Episode 1: Filling the Shoes Left Before Me


	2. A Helping Hand, But Do I Want It?

Episode 2: A Helping Hand…But Do I Really Want It?

Some people enter new areas of their lives and attempt to make a stupendously flashy entrance to enthrall everyone. Some people get their hopes up so high, expecting a wonderful beginning to a bright new future. Unfortunately, most of those people are sorely mistaken and are shot down upon their entrance and are reminded of their immense futility and stupidity.

Falkner, however, was not one of those people. He had no delusions of grandeur or fame. All the inexperienced gym leader had wanted was to not completely embarrass himself in front of his new coworkers so badly that it'd take years to live down.

Sadly, Falkner had failed miserably at this.

Walking despondently through town with his Pidgeot, he wished that he could just disappear from existence. But instead, he was forced to bask in the shame and humiliation of his poor serendipity of being shoved aside not once, but twice, and the second time directly into another man's lap. And to top it all off, the guy was a complete _PERVERT_! He used his own _pokemon_ to push Falkner back on him, and he actually _unzipped his pants_ in the middle of a crowded room! Did he have no shame?

And Falkner's poor reactions and coordination that led him to sprint directly into the nearest wall didn't help the situation. Rubbing his throbbing bandaged head, the teen walked away from the Johto Pokemon League Gym Leader's Meeting as fast as he could.

Falkner had discovered that the boy's name was Morty, and just as he had thought, Morty ran the ghost-type gym of Ecruteak, the very city that Falkner was now shuffling through dejectedly. While the bird user had not expected the gym leaders to be completely normal, he had hoped that at least most of them were sane. After this first meeting, Falkner was already debating withdrawing his title as Violet's Gym Leader and shoving it onto some other poor sap.

Not wanting to spend any more time in the city that had just shamed him beyond all comprehension, but not quite ready to go home, Falkner led Pidgeot and trudged to the outskirts of town near the Bell Tower. Disappointingly, Falkner wasn't allowed onto the premises, despite his gym leader status. Only the leader of Ecruteak City, the Ecruteak Elders, and ones designated worthy enough by defeating Morty himself were permitted to go near the tower. With a sigh of defeat, Falkner went under a large tree and plopped himself down under it in the shade. After looking at its master for a moment, Pidgeot followed Falkner's actions and laid down in the shade and curled up around the boy.

Looking up at the deep blue sky, Falkner watched the clouds go by and envied them. They were so free from all restraints and could soar in the air and do whatever they please. Even though Falkner had his birds, he was still a human, and couldn't escape the reality of being stuck in a society that always thrust him into roles he didn't feel he was adequate for. In all honesty, Falkner didn't want to be a gym leader. Although in childhood he always looked up to his father and desperately yearned to follow in his footsteps, the youth wasn't quite sure if he felt that way anymore. He still respected his father immensely, but didn't feel like being a gym leader fit his nature. Falkner felt unprepared to be the representative of Violet City. He didn't see himself as the type of charismatic person that people rallied behind, as seemed to be necessary of a gym leader. He wasn't too ambitious, didn't like to be put on the spot, and just didn't have that personality that a leader needed to radiate. Just because he was his father's son didn't mean that he had the same qualifications to lead a town.

"HEY! You asleep down there?"

The familiar voice startled Falkner out of his inner monologue to himself. Looking around anxiously, Falkner looked for the pervert whose voice he'd recognized. But he was nowhere to be found.

"Hey!" Morty said, jumping down from a tree branch that had been hanging over Falkner and landing in front of the alarmed boy.

"Y-YOU! You're that pervert!" Falkner exclaimed, scrambling away from the older boy and bumping into his Pidgeot, startling the large bird awake.

"Hey," Morty said, offended as he slowly stood up. "I have a name, you know. I've already told you. It's Morty. And besides, _you're_ the one who grabbed what wasn't yours."

"That was because that girl pushed me! And then _YOUR_ pokemon pushed me back onto you! And _you_ sure didn't seem to mind, Mr. Exhibitionist!"

"Hey! I have a name too!" Whitney said, appearing behind Morty. "I've already told you it too! Whitney! W-H-I-T-N-E-Y! Whitney!"

"Alright, alright, I get it!"

Both Whitney and Falkner turned and looked confusedly at Morty as he chuckled uncontrollably at the argument unfolding between the two teens.

"What's your issue?" Falkner asked accusingly.

"You two are so amusing." Morty snickered. "I'm glad that I volunteered to mentor you guys."

"Mentor?"

"Yes," Whitney explained as if she already had twenty times before, which she obviously hadn't. This attitude only continued to irk Falkner. "That's why we were looking for you and calling your name. As a veteran gym leader, Morty kindly offered to Naoto-san that he'd help us get used to our jobs."

"What? You _can't_ be serious!"

"He's a very talented trainer."

"Talented at stripping, maybe!"

"Why yes, I am excellent in bed Fal-chan, thank you for asking. And you're more then welcome to test me out later if you want."

"W-W-WHAT? That's…that's _NOT_ what I meant!"

As the trio went through a mix of emotions of anger, irritation, amusement, and confusion, Falkner's Pidgeot and Whitney's Miltank just watched in confusion and slight embarrassment at their masters.

"Ohohoho! I see that you've finally found Violet-kun!" Naoto said; referring to Falkner, as he broke up a fight he wasn't even aware was going on.

"So, I assume that you've told Violet-kun the conditions that you came up with, Bocchan*?"

"No, not quite." Morty answered. Falkner looked at the boy with irritation, wondering what he had done to be called Young Master. So far, he seemed like a complete good-for-nothing.

"Well, then I suppose it should be said. Violet-kun, you and Goldenrod-chan will be training under Bocchan for the next week. During this period, you shall reside in the same residence as him. He was so generous to propose this idea!"

WHAAAAAT? Falkner was supposed to live with this pervert for the next week? For the second time today, Falkner's brain exploded as he got ready to practically kiss his virginity goodbye.

After Naoto left, Falkner had had the time to piece back together most of his brain, though the repeated explosions were making it harder to do. He silently prayed fervently that this was all just some cruel joke by a higher power and he would soon wake up in his own bed in Violet City and today's horrible events would've never happened.

Morty and Whitney looked at each other with a puzzled expression as they watched Falkner's shaking figure huddled in the fetal position. Morty briefly thought he heard him murmur something about wanting his mother.

"Hey, Falkner."

No response.

"Falkner."

Still nothing.

"FALKNER!"

Again, still no response.

With a sigh, Morty groped around in his pocket and grabbed a pokeball. Hurling it into the air noiselessly, a red blob was released that quickly became the Gastly from the Leaders' Meeting. Motioning toward the huddled mass called Falkner; Morty gave a silent command to move the boy. Grinning, the Gastly floated down to Falkner's level and paused as it floated by the boy's neck. With an evil smirk, the pokemon extended its long ghostly tongue and gave Falkner's neck a big wet lick.

Falkner shuddered from the sudden violation of his neck, the effect only worsened by the unexplainable coldness and shock that came from the touch of a ghost. With a yelp, Falkner jumped to his feet and ran backwards, clinging to his Pidgeot for dear life, sweating profusely and as pale as a ghost. No pun intended.

"W-W-WHAT THE _HELL_ WAS THAT FOR?" Falkner screamed at Morty, practically strangling his Pidgeot with his iron grip.

"Hey, it got you up. You wouldn't respond to our calls."

"Couldn't you have used something…y'know…_less disturbing and mentally scarring_?"

"Probably, but it wouldn't have been nearly as amusing as this was."

Falkner glared at Morty with a look of pure contempt, though the gaze didn't appear to affect the nonchalant boy.

The face-off between the two boys was interrupted by Pidgeot's gurgling and gasping for air as it asphyxiated from Falkner's grip. As it started to turn blue, Falkner turned and realized what he was doing. Immediately releasing his death-hold on the bird's neck, he apologized profusely as Pidgeot wheezed and panted and its face started to return to its natural color.

"Well, I'm gonna get going to the house." Whitney said to Morty, turning back to town to look for the house number that Morty had given her. The older boy nodded in agreement. After watching the comedy scene between Falkner and his Pidgeot for a moment, Morty called out to the boy.

"Hey! It's getting close to sunset. You might wanna hurry up and come to the house before it gets dark. Put your bird in its pokeball and follow me."

Obeying Morty angrily, Falkner glowered at his sempai disgustedly. It was revolting that he'd have to spend the next week with him. With another pat of apology to his Pidgeot, Falkner returned the pokemon to its pokeball to rest and turned to follow Morty. As he turned, he nearly ran into the ghost that had desecrated his neck and shouted in surprise.

"Put your damn pokemon away!" Falkner yelled, swatting at the Gastly. He hated Ghost-type pokemon with a passion. They absolutely terrified him.

"Ghost pokemon don't sleep. There's no need for it to go back into a pokeball right now. Gastly loves the night." Morty explained matter-of-factly, which only irritated Falkner more. Hesitantly, Falkner walked around the ghost pokemon and began to follow Morty.

The sunset looked beautiful over the autumn tinted trees of Ecruteak, a sight that the historic town was famous for. It was a sight that Falkner would've adored in any other situation. But at this point in time, he was too upset to care. The dazzling magnificence of the twilight sky only seemed to mock Falkner for his misfortune and misery. He'd punch it in the face if it weren't inanimate.

Thinking back to his current dilemma of living with the pervert for a week, Falkner tried desperately to find a way out of his plight, but to no avail. After struggling with his inner turmoil for a bit, he just decided that it'd be easier to just give up and accept the fact for now that the next week was likely going to be the shittiest week that he ever would have.

Gazing again at the brilliant sky, now slightly darker as twilight was ending and night would soon begin, the first starts began to twinkle. He envied the stars, if only for the fact that they were millions of light-years away from him. Oh, how Falkner longed to change places with one of them for the next week, until the annoying fact popped into his head that by the time that most of the stars were probably dead by the time their light reached earth, and there was no point in switching with a dead former ball of incredibly hot gas. Falkner was tempted to smack his brain for bringing up such inconvenient facts to ruin his thoughts. The only thing that stopped him was remembering that his fragile brain had already exploded twice today, and it didn't need breaking a third time.

Muttering angrily, Falkner put his hands in his pockets as he continued to follow Morty through town. By now it was almost completely dark as night had reached Ecruteak and the town was illuminated by streetlights, the seemingly most modern aspect of the old town.

Feeling the need to say something to Morty, Falkner opened his mouth.

"I hate you."

"Uh huh." Morty hummed happily in response. "I love you too."

Of course, this was thrown back at Falkner, who was too tired to think of a retort to the comment. Sighing an angry sigh of defeat, he lowered his head and followed Morty as they came upon the building that would be his residence for the next torturous week.

_*Bocchan = Japanese for Young Master_

_End of Episode Two: A Helping Hand…But Do I Really Want It?_


	3. The First Night

**Episode Three: The First Night**

Annoyed, but defeated, Falkner sat silently in Morty's room, a large yet simple room with two futons, wooden flooring and walls, and several bookshelves and paintings being the only thing adorning the walls and floor of the somber room.

Falkner wanted nothing more than to run out of the building and never return. Between living with Morty and the constant presence of ghosts, this was utter torture. Falkner despised ghosts greatly. But he didn't run. There were two reasons. The first one being the fact that Falkner had been told of the Gastly that were guarding the building, and his own eyes had confirmed this fact. The second and bigger reason was because of the conversation that he and Morty had had earlier that night.

"You _CAN'T_ be serious."

"Yup."

"No. Freaking. Way."

"Uh huh."

"So…let me get this straight. I'm not only supposed to live with _you_ for the next week, but we're also gonna be _sharing the same room_?"

"That pretty much sums it up."

"NO FUCKING WAY! THERE'S NO CHANCE IN HELL THAT I'M GONNA SLEEP IN THE SAME ROOM _WITH A PERVERT LIKE YOU BESIDE ME_!"

Morty watched Falkner rant about how this should constitute as cruel and unusual punishment, and how there should be a law against this type of harassment, and Morty just stared blankly as the teen went on and on and _on_.

_He had seemed a lot more adorable a few minutes ago_, Morty thought to himself. _But then again, this is adorable in its own _way too. As Morty stood and watched, he waited for Falkner to cool down. Slowly, the younger teen started to get winded as he lost energy and willpower.

"You done now?"

"NO! I still don't see why I'm the one that has to share a room with you! Whitey-"

"Whitney" Morty corrected.

"Whitney, whatever. Well _Whitney_ has her own room!"

"She's a girl"

"And? At least there's-"

"Look," Morty interrupted again. "If you _really_ don't wanna sleep here, there is somewhere else."

"Really? Why didn't you mention that before! Take me there _now_!"

"You're really not gonna like it…"

"What're you talking about?" Falkner yelled impatiently, already half out the door. "It has to be better than your room. _Any_ place is better than being with you!"

"Well, ok…but don't say I didn't warn you…"

* * *

><p>"…"<p>

"What?"

"I thought you said that there was another room."

"I did. This is it."

"THIS?" Falkner said, motioning to the dark, dank room. It was barely lit, the floorboards were creaky and broken in places, there was no furniture and windows, it smelled moldy, and there just was an uneasy feeling when you walked into the room.

"I told you that you weren't gonna like it."

"When you said room, I thought you meant someplace that I could actually live in."

"You can. People have lived in here before."

"They have? I don't see how the Hell any-AAAAAHHH!" Falkner was cut off as a Haunter appeared right in front of his nose, grinning deviously. Scared, the teen cringed and attempted to swat the ghost away in a rather feminine manner."

"It seems that you really don't like ghosts. So I didn't imagine you'd like this room. It's infested with all of our extra ghost pokemon living around the mansion."

"Wh-Why the Hell do they need their own area? I thought you said that ghosts didn't need to sleep!"

"They don't. They inhabit this area to guard the rest of the building from _something else_."

"Something…else?" Falkner worriedly began to anticipate the stereotypical haunted manor murder story.

"A man. Several years back a man came here for an exorcism for his daughter who was possessed by a malevolent spirit. Because the Ecruteak clan of gym leaders is known for its vast knowledge of spirits, sometimes we get requests involving the supernatural. The demon was successfully exorcised, but it wasn't contained properly. It was released almost immediately and possessed the father. The ghost, now in the father's body, took out a knife and killed his daughter. The mediums tried to release the demon's hold, but it was too much strain on the man's body and he died here too. The demon was properly restrained the second time and was destroyed for its crimes."

"And…and the girl's spirit lives _here_?"

"Oh, no. The girl was a sweet young woman who had no regrets in life and immediately was sent to the afterlife peacefully and willingly. Her father is the one dwelling in this room. The pokemon hold him off, but he still is here, blaming us for the demon's outrage. And…he's right. If the exorcist had properly contained the demon the first time, he and his daughter would both be alive."

Falkner was completely silent. He wanted to believe it was a joke, but the look in Morty's eyes told him otherwise. The older male was unusually grim and serious.

Morty turned to walk away, beckoning Falkner to follow. Falkner started to, but stopped when Morty halted.

Not turning around, Morty paused before adding "And the exorcist to blame was my 11 year old self. _I_ was the culprit."

* * *

><p>After Morty's solemn tale, which was one of those things that were too sorrowful and unreal to be made up just on the spot, much of Falkner's throbbing urge to sprint away as fast as he could was diminished. Although it creeped him out that there was the spirit of a dead man in one of the rooms, he seemed to have gained a very slight bit of pity for the older boy who he claimed to despise so much. But the spirit of a dead man led Falkner to a question: If the man's spirit inhabited the house, what did that make the ghost pokemon? Were they once alive too? Do all pokemon turn into the select ghost pokemon known to humans? What makes the pokemon stay on earth? Do they have unfinished business that they want to fulfill before passing on?<p>

Falkner thought for a while, but wasn't able to come anywhere close to a half-decent answer, so he pushed the thought to the back of his head and stopped thinking altogether. Getting up, he decided to go for a walk to explore the premises, hoping not to encounter too many ghosts. Opening the sliding door, he saw a deep green yukata* lying by the door with a note:

_Fal-chan-_

_For you, hope it fits. It seemed like your size._

_-Morty_

_-Also: Feel free to roam the building, just watch out for ghosts. Don't want a little girl like you to get frightened. _

While the ending of the note irked Falkner, he felt it nice that Morty had taken time to get him a yukata.

_Wait…am I actually not hating the guy right now? _Falkner asked himself. He paused, and decided that Morty's somberness earlier had messed with him and he wasn't acting himself because of it, and he'd be back to hating Morty in the morning. _Like one of those 24-hour colds_, Falkner said jokingly, equating his pity to a sickness.

Taking the yukata and slipping it on, Falkner found that it actually fit well and was quite comfortable. Tossing his normal ensemble of blue aside, he walked into the hallway and closed the door, nearly running into Whitney in the process.

"Oh, Falkner!" Whitney said after realizing whom it was that she nearly ran into. "I've been looking for you! Isn't Morty's house great?"

"Yeah, I guess" Falkner responded. It was true. The house was quite nice. Although it looked old, it was very large and relatively well kept. Looking like a traditional Japanese mansion, and partially like an onsen** resort, it was several times larger than any house that Falkner had ever been in, and it even had servants! But so far Falkner hadn't seen Morty's parents, or any of his family for that matter. Other than a few servants, the house seemed relatively empty.

Walking and talking, the two discussed their emotions about the next week.

"So, do you have any idea what's gonna happen the next week?" Falkner asked. Even though he had had issues with Whitney before, she was going to be some of his only company for the next week, so he might as well at least attempt to get along with her.

"No, I don't" the girl answered. "Since it's about leading our gyms, I imagine that it'll have different areas, like battling, record keeping, and legalities."

"Oh" Falkner hadn't even thought of the fact that he'd have to record every battle in his gym in detail. It also hit him that he'd need to pay for gym trainers and a referee, and probably a cleaning service and maintenance crew. Realizing how little he knew about leading a gym, he thought for a second that maybe this week actually would be a little helpful.

At a fork in the hallway, their paths diverged.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed. I biked from Goldenrod to get here, so I'm pretty tired. Goodnight." Watching Whitney head to bed, Falkner began to see that he probably had things pretty easy. He had bird pokemon to get him here and had a relatively happy household with his mother. The only things he really had ever had to do that constituted work was help his father out occasionally with maintaining the gym and helping around the house. This would be his first actual job, and it was an important one. He was now one of the eight gym leaders of Johto!

Coming down a path that seemed to lead outside, Falkner remembered that Whitney had mentioned something about natural hot springs. Looking outside, he saw steam rising from the ground and decided that it'd be a good idea to take a nice warm bath. Shedding his yukata and underclothes, he walked outside to the springs and dipped his toe into the water, sighing with relief at the pleasure the hot water sent coursing through his body. Disregarding the thought of the sudden temperature change, Falkner began to wade in deeper and let himself immediately sink into the water to his shoulders without bothering to adjust himself to the warmth first. The utter bliss that was sent throughout his body was completely that: blissful. The sensation brought goosebumps to his skin regardless of the warm water. Sinking down to his nose, he allowed himself to be engulfed in the full embrace of the steaming water.

Suddenly, he felt a slight tug on his toe. Trying to pull back, Falkner jumped up in surprise. A soaked figure surfaced from the water and Falkner quickly identified his aggressor as Morty.

"Wha…? Since when were you here?"

"Well, this _is_ my house" Morty stated flatly, a big grin on his face. Falkner paused, realizing he didn't have a response. It was true. "I bathe here twice a day. Hot springs help rejuvenate the body, mind, and soul."

"Well…when did you get here?"

"I've been in here long before you came in. That's where I went after I gave you the yukata. I knocked, but you didn't answer." Slowly, Morty slid up to the side that Falkner was leaning against and propped himself up on the wall, arms on the stone, torso and below immersed in the water.

As they talked a little, Falkner slowly started to relax a bit out of freak out-mode and leaned back on the stone in a similar fashion as Morty, though the similarity was just a coincidence.

"So…did you really mean what you said earlier?" Falkner felt bad asking, but he had to make sure.

"Hmm?"

"About the demon. Was that really…you?"

"…yes…it was my first exorcism. Until then someone else had done it for customers. But as the head of the clan, the elders figured that I needed to learn how to do it too."

"Head of the clan? Elders?"

"Yup. The leader of Ecruteak City's gym is also the leader of the sole clan of mystics. As the heir, I need to be very knowledgeable and capable in all aspects."

"Clan of mystics? You?"

_Shit_. Falkner was dropping his guard and it was glaringly obvious to Morty. Neither one of them understood why Falkner did, but Morty's body was telling him to take advantage of the situation. He was desperately hoping that Falkner wouldn't look down through the water at his abdomen.

_Damn, he's so freaking cute_, Morty thought to himself

"Yes. I'm a mystic. Mystic-in-training actually."

"Is that why you're parents aren't here?"

_Parents_.

"…Another time, Fal-chan…" Morty said, forcibly moving himself away from the vulnerable boy. It was all he could do to not ravage the teen, but not yet. Although he had been messing with Falkner earlier today, he didn't want to make Falkner leave before he actually did teach the kid everything he needed to know to be a successful leader. It killed him to leave the boy, but somehow he forced himself to start swimming away, hiding his growing problem below his waist.

"What?"

"I've been called. I need to go." In all honesty, that wasn't a complete lie. Morty had been called by the elders to a meeting. He had not explained his plan to them beforehand about training the rookie gym leaders, and they were not happy. But that wasn't unusual. Though he took his training seriously, he didn't understand why he wasn't allowed to make his own choices once in a while. He was constantly being lectured for doing things that the elders hadn't given him approval for, and above all that, for taking leisure time.

"I'm sorry, Fal-chan." Yes, it was true. The elders had sent a Gastly to give him the message to immediately appear before them.

But that was almost an hour ago. Morty had figured that Falkner would come talk a bath eventually, and wanted to wait and talk, regardless of the stupid meeting. He had disregarded the meeting to later, after his bath.

The elders were _not_ going to be happy.

_Oh well. That's nothing new_, Morty sighed to himself as he half waded, half swam to the other entrance to the hot spring that he had used to enter earlier.

Falkner watched confusedly as Morty swam toward the area that he had come from. There was so much to take in and understand, and Morty's sudden disappearance hadn't helped things.

Suddenly a thought hit Falkner.

"Hey! Who said you could call me _Fal-chan_?"

*Yukata = A type of traditional Japanese robe worn at hot springs and other leisure activities

**Onsen = A Japanese hot springs vacation resort, set to look like a traditional Edo-style building

_End of Episode Three: The First Night_


	4. The Reality Finally Sets In

**Episode Four: The Reality Finally Sets In**

Falkner slept surprisingly well that first night. As sunlight beamed into the room through an open window, Falkner sat up in his futon and gave a big yawn as he stretched. Looking to where Morty had slept, he saw the futon was already empty. Morty must already be up. Originally Falkner was dead against sleeping in the same _BUILDING_ as Morty, much less the same room or so close beside each other. But after a pulse pounding hour or two in the same room, the blue haired boy finally calmed down enough to sleep, at least after he had slid his futon as far away from the prospective rapist as possible and set up a pillow and towel barricade on the edge of his futon that faced Morty. The older boy had found this highly amusing, and although he messed with Falkner for a bit afterward, he mostly left him alone afterward in the night. Falkner only hoped that he'd stay like that. He didn't have much faith in that happening, though.

Groggily walking into the hallway, he wandered around as he realized that he had no idea where the kitchen was. He meandered around for a while, eventually backtracking and ending up directly outside his room, right where he started.

"DAMNIT…" Falkner groaned in fatigue, his stomach rumbling. He normally ate immediately after waking up, and was not accustomed to waiting for food. The boy was also slow to wake, and was not a morning person, which didn't help his current predicament of finding food. Walking down the seemingly endless maze of halls, Falkner began to give up hope, resigning himself to be lost in the labyrinth of halls for all eternity, eventually starving to death.

Just as he was about to collapse on the floor, (in reality, only about 10 minutes had passed) he heard a rumbling sound coming from the other end of the hall. Turning around, he saw a pink and black blur zoom toward him at a frightening pace.

"MOOOOOOOOOO!" the figure cried as it ran roughshod over Falkner, barreling over him. As Falkner flew in the air after the impact, it hit him that he knew all too well what the familiar object was that had just ran into him. Again.

Hitting the ground hard, Falkner glared upward at Whitney's Miltank, too tired and frustrated to even mumble profanities. The pokemon had stopped, and was looking down curiously at the creature it had just smacked into for a second time in just as many days. Struggling to his feet, Falkner resigned himself to the fact that this was probably going to become a regular occurrence with the cow pokemon.

Looking into the pokemon's confused and slightly worried face, Falkner realized something.

"Wait…" he said as he came to his conclusion. "You're lost too, aren't you?" The pokemon nodded slightly as if to agree with him. "Great, just great. Now I'm gonna starve to death with _you_ of all creatures." The idea that he could possibly eat the Miltank crossed the displeased boy's mind, but he dismissed it, having seen Miltank wallow in enough filth in his life to turn him away from them. Sure, he might be starving to death. But even he had standards.

As he wandered with the equally hungry pokemon, Falkner muttered about how useless the Miltank was. Didn't it have some sort of animalistic sense that could lead it to food? Or even just a better sense of smell that could direct it?

As if reading the boy's mind, Miltank sniffed the air, opened it's eyes in shock, and bolted off in the direction directly ahead of Falkner, crashing into two maids on its way.

* * *

><p>"Oh Miltank, I'm so glad you found me!" Whitney said cheerfully at the breakfast table, robed in a pale pink yukata. Miltank mooed happily in agreement as it gobbled down the food before it. Offsetting the happy scene was Falkner, sitting on the other side of the table, scowling darkly.<p>

"You really need to get a leash on that thing." He grumbled.

"Shut up and eat your breakfast," Whitney said dismissively. Falkner couldn't argue with that. Looking hungrily at his meal, he started devouring it rapidly like a starving Snorlax.

"Where's Morty?" Whitney asked after Falkner's rapid eating started to slow to a normal human's pace. As quiet and picky as the blue haired teen was, Whitney noted that he easily fell apart to undignified behavior.

"Huh?" Falkner responded, swallowing and wiping food from his mouth.

"I figured he'd be with you, since you two were sharing a room."

"I have no idea where he is. He was gone when I got up."

"Hmmm…" Whitney said, leaning back and pondering about their host's whereabouts. "Oh! Maybe he's preparing our training for today!"

Falkner cringed at the types of _'training' _Morty was preparing. Knowing him, it was something perverted and mentally scarring.

Whitney just looked at the wincing boy sitting across her in confusion. She turned to her Miltank, who seemed to share the girl's confusion.

"Do you have any idea what he's freaking out about?" she asked her bovine companion. It only mooed and shook it's head.

* * *

><p>"Okay class, my name is Morty the Great, but you can address me as Sensei. Or Master. Or Divine-Ruler-Of-My-Entire-Being,-Please-Make-Sweet-Monkey-Love-To-Me. The latter would be preferable. Welcome to Gym Battle 101. I will be your teacher."<p>

Falkner glared at the pretentious boy in front of him, who was currently wearing glasses, holding a ruler, pointing at a chalkboard, and attempting to speak in a crappy British accent. He and Whitney were even being forced to sit in desks, but the whole classroom atmosphere was somewhat ruined by the fact that they were _OUTSIDE_.

"Sensei," Whitney interjected, raising her hand. Falkner groaned at her willingness to participate in this whole school charade. "This class is about battling, right? Well I only have my Miltank here, because I didn't know to bring the others from home."

Falkner realized that she had a valid point. The only Pokémon he had with him was his Pidgeot, and he hadn't ever battled with it before.

"Tsk, tsk." Morty sighed disapprovingly. "One of the most essential a gym leader, or any trainer for that matter, is to always keep their Pokémon on them at all times. And even though you didn't bring them, the lesson will still proceed. A gym leader must be able to face all sorts of obstacles, no matter the handicap. For a real gym leader, battling average trainers with only one Pokémon should be doable. We _are_ supposed to be some of the strongest trainers in Johto, remember."

Morty was correct, Falkner thought. But being reminded about their necessary level of skill, the boy again felt inadequate and unsuited for the job of gym leader.

"Okay," Morty said, taking off his glasses and dropping the asinine attempt at an accent. "Enough kidding around. Time to get serious. Here. I brought this for our lesson." The boy pointed to a veiled cart standing beside him. Yanking the garb away, he revealed two red Pokéballs.

"Each Pokéball has an average strength Pokémon in it, both Pokémon that can be caught within the vicinity of this city's surroundings."

With that, Morty lobbed both Pokéballs into the air at his pupils, which opened and shot out figures bathed in that familiar red light.

* * *

><p>"I still don't think that it's a good idea to let Morty handle those kids."<p>

"Exactly. Do we really want them to grow up to be as useless as him?"

"Come now, the young master has progressed greatly over the past few years. Give him a chance."

The entire group of elders looked up in surprise as Naoto finished his comment.

"Give him a chance?" Snapped one elderly man. "How many chances do you think we have given him? And each time he has been a complete disappointment! Just like his parents."

"Do _NOT_ talk about the master OR his parents in such a manner," shouted Naoto, surprising the group with his sudden forcefulness. The unexpected behavior surprised many of the dissenters in the room into silence.

"Naoto." Said one man, clearing his throat. "Do you really think that he's ready to take position as head of the mystics?"

"Yes. I do, sir."

"Then let us test this. These kids will be the deciding factor. If both Violet's and Goldenrod's gyms prosper after this training, then Morty will be considered again for leadership.

"Thank you sir."

"But if the children fail, it will fall onto Morty. We will find a more suitable gym leader and revoke Morty's status as head of Ecruteak."

The last statement caused an uproar in the dark room filled with the mystics of Ecruteak. Comments of approval and disapproval were voiced rapidly and overlapping, until Naoto's was heard above all.

"But sir! I hardly think that this is right and fair for the young master-"

"Or would you rather I revoke his status right now, Naoto?" said the man who seemed to be their leader. Naoto tried to protest, but to no avail.

"Alright…"

* * *

><p>Falkner sighed in anguish after a long session of hard work. The Pokémon that Morty had sent out had been a Ghastly and a Magnemite, with Falkner receiving the latter as an opponent. The lesson was supposed to be about defeating opponents with a type advantage to yours.<p>

_As a gym leader, you should be prepared to battle any type of Pokémon. Your opponents aren't just going to choose Pokémon convenient for you_, Morty had told them. As much as Falkner disliked the older boy, the Ecruteak leader was correct. But the Magnemite was a horrible combination of electric, which was super effective to his flying Pidgeot, and steel, which nullified most of Falkner's attacks. The disgruntled boy turned over on his futon in frustration.

"How am I supposed to defeat a steel Pokémon?" Falkner thought out loud, holding up his Pokéball, housing his exhausted and defeated Pidgeot. Flying and normal moves were all but neutralized by the type disadvantage and steel-types' high defense. And those types made up the vast majority of moves that his Pidgeot could learn. Sometimes bird Pokémon seemed to have some nasty disadvantages. Surely there was a move to teach his Pidgeot to defeat a steel-type. But what? Having grown up in Violet City's gym, Falkner knew most of the moves available to his Pokémon. But nothing he could think of would be able to land a decent hit on Magnemite. Meanwhile, there was a knocking at his door, but the novice gym leader was too absorbed in thought to notice.

"Argh! What am I supposed to do?" Falkner shouted in aggravation, tossing his pillow in a random direction, which happened to be toward the door.

"Falkner, can I come-" Whitney was cut off as the pillow hit her in the face as she opened the door and peeked through. She stepped back in surprise.

"I….uh…oops." Falkner said. "That…wasn't intentional."

* * *

><p>"So," Falkner said. "What did you want to talk about?" The two of them were currently walking the streets of Ecruteak in the mid-afternoon sunlight. After Falkner had apologized to Whitney for hitting her in the face with the pillow, she asked if he was having trouble thinking like she was, and asked if he wanted to take a walk with her to help clear their minds.<p>

"About this morning's lesson with Morty." Whitney had done just as poorly as Falkner against her supernatural opponent. The Ghastly was a ghost-type, and every single one of her attacks just went straight through the ethereal creature. She ended up just as badly beaten as her companion in training, and the two of them were told by Morty that there would be another training session this evening, and they needed to figure out a winning strategy by then.

"Oh." Personally, Falkner was hoping the walk was an attempt to _forget_ all about his problems for the moment.

"I know for me, both normal and fighting type moves won't work on a ghost. But that's all my Miltank knows. Have you figured out anything for your Pidgeot to do against that Magnemite?"

"No…flying and normal attacks do next to no damage, and Magnemite levitates, so even ground type moves are out, which would've been really helpful if I could just Mud-Slap that annoying Pokémon."

"I guess none of the current moves out Pokémon know can do anything decent" Whitney sighed in defeat.

"But wait," Falkner said, an idea striking him. "We have two minds here. Surely we can think of something. Let's go over what types are effective against our opponents. Your adversary is ghost/poison, so that'd be…"

"A dark move! A dark-type move would be super effective!" Whitney cried out in enlightenment.

"That's right!" the blue haired teen replied. "And if that doesn't work, psychic attacks are super effective against poison, but not very effective against ghost type Pokémon. But at least that would create a strong attack to hurt it."

"Yeah! But…I don't know whether Miltank can learn a psychic-type move. And even if it did, I'm not sure I can teach it to Miltank in such a short time. I think I'd just stick with a dark move. But what could it…um…"

"Bite!"

"Yeah! That'd be great!" Whitney said gleefully. "Gee, you're such a great help!"

"No problem," Falkner said, blushing. Whether he liked the girl or not, it felt good being needed and appreciated.

"But now we need to do yours too! So, Magnemite is steel/electric, so let's start with electric-type's weaknesses."

"Well, there's ground," the boy said. "But Magnemite's levitation nullifies any ground attack."

"Darn it…well, what about steel-type's weaknesses?" After Falkner helped her, Whitney wasn't going to let him down.

"Let's see…there's fighting, but I doubt Pidgeot can learn any fighting moves. And ground, but again, it's Levitate ability gets in the way. So that leaves…fire."

"Can Pidgeot learn any fire-type moves? I've never heard of any, but I'm not the expert on bird Pokémon. That's you."

"I…I'm not sure. But I know just where to check. Whitney, you've helped me out a lot. Thanks."

"Um…no problem, but I still don't see a move to use."

"Just go to your training! You need to get ready too!" Falkner said; running back toward the elaborate house they were staying at.

Falkner had a hunch about a move to use, and knew exactly where to look to find out if he was right.

_End of Episode Four: The Reality Sets In_

* * *

><p>AN: Yeah, didn't have Author's Notes for chapters 1-3, gonna start now.

This chapter seems at points to have RollingWindShipping. (Falkner X Whitney) Lol sorry for that. NOT gonna happen again. This story is strictly Honorshipping (Morty X Falkner).

Speaking of Honorshipping, chapter 5 is finally gonna start in on that. Sorry it took so long, I wanted to set up the plot first. (This is gonna be a loooooooooong story btw)

I realize that I write Falkner differently than most people, i.e., as a more inexpreienced flawed person. I do that because:

1. This story is about him progressing as a gym leader and as a person

2. It's how I see him

3. He IS mature mentally, just inexperienced here. He'll grow. Growth always takes place in good stories.

4. Morty seemed like the perfect sempai

I know there are doubts about Falkner's dad. Sometimes he's told he's training elsewhere, sometimes it's just unknown. I used the fact that Falkner discusses his dad, showing he's fairly new, and wrote my own stuff about his dad. Whether or not you think he's training somewhere, in this story, he's DEAD. Sorry.

And Falkner does really respect his father, but right now he's just so overwhelmed about everything happening that you don't hear it much and it's questionable when you do. But trust me, he will talk about his dad. Gonna try to keep this as canon as possible.

Sorry for writing so much in the A/N, just was trying to clear up 4 chapters of notes.

~Sharpened Moonlight


	5. The Night of the Red Moon

**Episode Five: The Night of the Red Moon**

Whitney was surprised that she was the only one at the dinner table that evening. Their second training session was supposed to be shortly after dinner, yet neither Falkner or Morty were anywhere to be found. _Surely Falkner is still training_, she thought to herself. Whitney had also spent the afternoon training her Miltank to use Bite. It had been very successful, so successful that she managed to also teach it another move that could end up helpful in defeating that dastardly Ghastly. The pink haired teen smiled at herself for a job well done. She couldn't wait to show Morty and Falkner how she had improved.

Despite the absence of the two boys, the dinner table was still set out lavishly by the maids, and Whitney eventually decided to dig in. Her Miltank was resting in her Pokéball, tired but happy. The Goldenrod gym leader had fed it earlier after the training, so it could rest as long as possible to maximize her chance at beating Morty's Ghastly. So Whitney ate in an empty room with only the food there to keep her company, and while it was awkward, she was so hungry that she quickly was able to ignore the silence.

Whitney finished eating without either boy ever coming into the dining hall. She glanced at their plates, still clean; and their chairs, still empty. What was keeping them? Falkner should know that the training session was about to start, and Morty, their teacher, definitely should know.

_Oh well_, she thought. Just as she was about to get up, Morty burst into the room in a fit of panic.

"Where's Falkner?" He panted; his face a picture of terror. Sweat was dripping down his face, which was red from emotion and running.

"He hasn't come back," Whitney said, surprised by the condition her sempai was in. "He's probably still training. But why are you-"

The girl was interrupted for the second time that day as Morty turned toward the door and grabbed a Pokéball.

"Stay here. Do _NOT_ follow me," Morty instructed tensely, before calling out his Pokémon. "Go, Haunter!"

A red figure appeared and a ghost Whitney hadn't seen before became visible. It was a deep purple apparition with a terrifying gaze and monstrous ghostly claws. But before Whitney could finish looking at the new Pokémon, Morty had pulled another Pokéball out of his pocket.

"Haunter, look for Falkner. Alert me the second you find him." The Pokémon nodded in seriousness and flew away at a startlingly fast pace, disappearing through the roof.

Morty was completely different than his normal jovial self when he became serious. Whitney was surprised by the striking contrast. For Morty to be this high strung, something really bad must have happened.

"Morty, what h-" Whitney tried to ask, but was cut off again by Morty summoning his second Pokémon.

"Go, Banette!" This time the ghost that appeared was in the shape of a haunting deteriorating doll, with glowing red eyes and a zipper for a mouth. Just as Morty was about to leave, he whipped his head around to address Whitney again.

"Do you have any idea where he might be?" The older boy demanded, sounding unintentionally harsh to the confused girl.

"Um…he said he was going to try to teach Pidgeot a fire-type move, but I don't know where he would-"

Something inside Morty's brain clicked, and he dashed out the door, leaving Whitney to just gape at what had just happened.

* * *

><p>"Damn it," Morty cursed under his breath as he ran throughout the eerily quiet town. The sun had set, and the streets were absolutely empty, devoid of all life. The only thing lighting the night was the occasional antique-style streetlight and the ball of light his Banette had floating in front of them to illuminate their path.<p>

Where would Falkner be? He wanted to learn a fire move, Whitney said. So the easiest way to learn would be in a surrounding that aided the attack, like a dry, hot area. Or even better, a place with an open flame. Morty was going through a mental list of the most likely places to find Falkner. The best place for a flame would be the sacred fire in the Bell Tower, but Falkner didn't have access to that area or town. The grasslands between Ecruteak and Olivine were easily combustible, especially since things were relatively dry at the moment. The Kimono Girls' dojo also had access to fire, but Falkner probably didn't know that. So that just left…

Morty stopped suddenly as he got a message from his Haunter that he had sent on ahead to search for Falkner. It had picked up Falkner's aura. In the Burned Tower.

The absolute worst place Morty feared he'd be.

* * *

><p>An hour earlier, Falkner had been walking down the streets of Ecruteak toward the Burned Tower with a book in his hand, grinning happily.<p>

He was right. There _was_ a move he could teach Pidgeot. He had thought of it when talking to Whitney, and grabbed one of the books he brought with him to check. _Winona's Complete Guide to Battling Bird Pokémon._ Written by a flying-type gym leader in the far-off Hoenn region, it contained the battle techniques and movesets for almost all known bird Pokémon, including Pidgeot. And sure enough, under the available moves for teaching Pidgeot, there was a fire move.

Heat Wave.*

A very powerful fire attack, the user sends out a blast of scorching wind at the opponent. Falkner figured since the attack used air even more than fire, he might be able to teach his Pidgeot. It wasn't a move that Pidgeot could learn naturally, but a person could train it to learn the attack.

Falkner had watched his father train Pokémon enough to know the basics of how to train his Pokémon to learn various types of moves. Basically you needed some sort of catalyst to create the move. With a fire type, you needed available heat or fire. Falkner had gone to the visitors' center section of the Pokémon Center (because apparently there is a decent amount of tourism to Ecruteak) and asked for a brochure of the best places to visit in Ecruteak City, hoping to get an idea of where to train. There were a surprisingly large amount of interesting places in Ecruteak. The Bell Tower and Bellchime Path (which Falkner was still peeved that he couldn't enter) were rated as the number one most romantic place for a date…too bad nobody could enter. The Kimono Girls were supposedly really good at dancing and Pokémon. The Ecruteak Ghost gym was a given for the brochure, and there was the mansion of the clan of mystics, and many other places. Beside Ecruteak was Mt. Mortar and the National Park with their bug catching contest.

But the place that struck Falkner as the most conducive to training was the Burned Tower. The brochure read that _in the distant past…when this tower burned in a fire, three nameless Pokémon perished in it. Then, a rainbow-hued Pokémon descended from the sky and somehow brought them back…The people were afraid of power such as the rainbow-hued Pokémon had shown. They tried to control it by force. The nameless Pokémon made no attempt to fight back. Instead, their great sorrow compelled them to leave. This legend has been passed down by the Ecruteak Gym Leader._ **

Falkner was never one to be overly interested in history, but Ecruteak seemed to be filled with it. Upon seeing the Burned Tower, the teen noted that it was a tin tower that had all but been destroyed by fire, with only a few floors left of its original magnitude and dignity. The legend struck Falkner as important for several reasons.

The tower was destroyed by fire, showing it was easily flammable.

If the legend was true, there might be some mystical presence that could help escalate his training. At this point, anything even remotely possible of helping him was good.

It was called the BURNED Tower, for Christ's sake.

But now that Falkner was there, he wasn't sure that there was much good that this tower could do. He had spent the past hour trying to find a way to escalate the heat in his Pidgeot's breath. The tower was old and cracked, falling apart in many places. There were also many various Pokémon residing within the fallen former behemoth of a building. Glancing around, Falkner couldn't help but think that this was probably not the best place to send tourists. The teen could see possible lawsuits everywhere for clumsy and sue-happy people.

While attempting to teach Heat Wave to his Pidgeot, the cobalt haired boy was also simultaneously venturing deeper into the tower, hoping to find something, anything that could possibly help him.

"C'mon Pidgeot," Falkner said encouragingly, the floor creaking beneath him as he walked. "We have to find a way to beat Morty." The bird Pokémon nodded agreeably, but had been noticeably agitated about something since they duo had entered the tower. It seemed to grow increasingly spooked the further in they went.

Suddenly, a rumble shook the entire tower, it's fragile structure being compromised with each violent vibration.

"W-What was that?" Falkner shouted in surprise, stepping on a particularly weak floor panel that was in even worse condition after the quaking. His foot shattered the board and fell straight down. The boy tried to grasp onto the surrounding area to stop his fall, but this only broke more of the floor underneath, sending the gym leader plummeting into the darkness.

* * *

><p>Whitney looked out a window in worry, her reflection showing on the glass. She had tried to follow Morty, but the ghosts had stopped her, as well as the maids that followed their appearance. When she had tried to reason with the women, the gym leader-in-training was told that it was not just her, nobody in town was allowed outside tonight. When the girl questioned why, the maids gave vague, nondescript answers, almost expecting her to pick up the rest. Whitney was irked by this. She didn't understand a single thing that was going on. But looking out upon the streets, she noticed that the maids were right. There was not a single soul, human or Pokémon, noticeable in the streets of Ecruteak. The town was usually quiet in the evening, but normally the streets weren't this empty this early in the evening. Not to mention there was this eerie feeling that the teenage trainer just couldn't seem to shake.<p>

Suddenly there was a commotion at the door, followed by the yelling of several maids. Whitney jumped up and went to the door to see what was wrong.

"You stupid girl!"

"Why were you out there?"

"Didn't your mother teach you better than that? For goodness' sake, get inside now!"

Whitney watched as a grade-school age girl was shooed into the mansion, crying and scared. The maids saw Whitney standing nearby, and told her to take the girl into her room and keep her quiet.

Whitney did as she was told, as was surprised to see the usually calm and dignified maids so high strung, whispering tensely to each other.

* * *

><p>Morty was drenched in sweat when he arrived at the Burned Tower. But the sweat was cold as the older teen, a high level mystic and exorcist, felt the chill that was the chaos in the tower and immediately identified it. His Haunter was waiting by the door, and Morty and his Banette reconvened with it. He returned the two ghost Pokémon to their Pokéballs and released his trump Pokémon. A strong and capable Gengar appeared before him, setting its feet on the ground, unlike most of the other ghosts, which flew.<p>

Suddenly a tremor was felt around the tower as it shook violently from some force underground. Morty was almost thrown off-balance by the abrupt shockwave.

_Damn it_, he cursed under his breath as he regained composure and dashed up the stairs of the Burned Tower. He had to find Falkner _NOW_, before the three beasts fully awoke.

* * *

><p>Whitney sat in awkward silence with the little girl in her room. The maids had put them both into yukata and had all but locked them into the bedroom.<p>

"What's your name?" Whitney asked, trying to break the silence. The girl had stopped crying by now and was just whimpering nervously.

"R-Rebecca…" the girl said, looking up at the older girl, as if shocked that someone was actually speaking to her.

"Rebecca. That's a pretty name," Whitney responded, smiling weakly, trying to keep the conversation going. When the girl said nothing in return, the pink haired senior spoke again.

"Do you know what's going on, Rebecca?"

"Nuh uh," the timid girl shook her head in response. Whitney sighed mentally in frustration. Why couldn't anyone extrapolate the obviously important situation to her?

"Well…" Rebecca began after a moment of quiet tension. "I do know some stuff. But not everything."

"That's okay, Rebecca" Whitney said, trying to hide her excitement. "Tell me anything you know. You seem like a smart girl. I'm sure you know a lot."

"It's…the Night of the Red Moon."

"The Night of the Red Moon?" Whitney glanced out the one window in the room, noting that the moon was indeed red. Odd. It hadn't been red earlier…

"Yeah. It happens every couple of months. When that happens, nobody's allowed to go outside, because dangerous things are out there."

"Dangerous things?" What? How dangerous? Falkner and Morty were both out there.

"Yeah. The three legends. I'm not sure what they are, but Mommy always is scared during this time…All I wanted to do was help…I was just trying to water the flowers while she closed up, but then the ban happened and all the doors locked…she's probably so worried right now!" The girl began crying again, and Whitney hugged her and held the terrified child.

The three legends? What did the girl mean? Whitney thought she had heard something about three legendary Pokémon around Ecruteak. Did the girl mean them? But what were they doing? Why now? Could it really be…

* * *

><p>"Suicune, Entei, and Raikou" Morty muttered to himself as he ran into the Burned Tower.<p>

*In Generation IV, Pidgeot can learn Heat Wave via Move Tutor. Look it up. .

**Direct quote from Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver, said by the man standing outside the Burned Tower

_End of Episode Five: The Night of the Red Moon_

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry this took so long, I had writer's block and was busy.

Originally this and Chapter 6 (which I'm still writing) were gonna be one chapter, but it got really long. I promise the end of this conflict thing (being the appearance of the 3 Legenary Pokemon) will finish in Chapter 6

And when I said that the Honorshipping would begin in Chapter 5, that was when I was planning on having 5 and 6 be one chapter. Sorry for getting your hopes up. It'll happen. I'm really sorry.

I'm also really sorry I keep adding random fanmade characters into the story. First Naoto, then the council, and now Rebecca. They're all temporary characters, I promise. Sorry.

God, I feel like I'm apologizing for everything this chapter.

Also, I never planned for Whitney to have this big of a role in the story. But she did. Oh well. :P

And I know the red moon is such a common thing for eerie village mystic things, but I literally put that in 5 minutes ago because I couldn't think of anything else.

I promise Chapter 6 will be up soon, like in the next few days.

Again, I'm sorry.


	6. The Genuis of Stupidity

**Episode Six: The Genius of Stupidity**

"Ouch..." Falkner sighed in pain, sitting on the hard stone floor of some cavern beneath the Burned Tower. When he had fallen through the floor, he couldn't grab for his Pidgeot in time and so the Pokémon's flight was useless. It had followed its master down to the underground, but was several times more spooked than before, so much so that Falkner's commands didn't hold any meaning. So he couldn't fly out of there.

He was pretty sure he had broken his arm in the fall, or at least sprained it. His left arm was held tenderly in his right, unable to move easily by itself. Using his over shirt, Falkner made a makeshift sling to hold his now useless limb. Struggling to his feet, Falkner began examining the place that he had fallen into.

It looked like some sort of cave, something not made by humans. It was cold, dark, and dank, but Falkner's eyes eventually adjusted to the dim surroundings. It hit him that if he was able to see, albeit only somewhat, then there must be some sort of light source, possibly from an exit. So the boy pressed onward, his Pidgeot following him nervously. Falkner debated putting the Pokémon back in its Pokéball since it wasn't doing much good outside of it, but he decided not to, since he was unsure of what might happen down here. Something strange was happening. It didn't take a genius to deduce that from the spooked Pokémon and quaking building.

As if summoned by Falkner's thoughts, another, more violent tremor was felt throughout the cavern. It was a lot stronger than before, probably meaning that Falkner was closer to the source. This made Falkner keep going, because he had to know what was happening.

* * *

><p>"Damn it, I think that idiot fell through the floor" Morty said to his Gengar as he searched the Burned Tower. He hadn't seen Falkner anywhere on the floor, and there had been suspicious fresh holes in the floor, as if someone had fallen through it. Morty and his ghostly partner were currently examining the hole Falkner had indeed created when he made his sudden descent during the tremors.<p>

"It looks really unstable" Morty said. "Let's _not_ take that way down." His Gengar nodded, peering down into the black abyss between the broken floorboards. If it had wanted, the Pokémon could have just sank through the wooden floor and searched for the younger boy. But Morty hadn't commanded it to do so, and Gengar was feeling a little strange ever since his master called it out this evening, as if something strange was happening. The ghost could sense several extremely powerful presences underneath the tower.

"Come here, Gengar" Morty commanded. As gym leader of Ecruteak, he knew all about all of the historic areas, including how to navigate the Burned Tower. If Morty's assumptions were correct, Falkner had fallen into the underground cavern upon which the Burned Tower had been built. A cavern where on the Night of the Red Moon, Suicune, Raikou, and Entei rested. The red moon wasn't from the normal weather conditions that made the lunar orb appear crimson. The sheer energy of the three Pokémon heated the air to make the moon look hot. THAT was the Night of the Red Moon.

Morty had to find Falkner as soon as possible. If Falkner saw the three legendary Pokémon, who knew what could happen. He could be incinerated on the spot.

With that terrifying thought in his mind, Morty ran to the hidden passageway to the underground chamber.

* * *

><p>"C'mon Pidgeot, get ahold of yourself" Falkner said, walking through the cave. It had been getting lighter, where now Falkner could see fairly clearly. It was also getting…hotter? Yes, there was definitely an increase in temperature. Falkner eventually reached a doorway. Peeping through, a blinding light suddenly assailed his eyes.<p>

* * *

><p>Morty ran down the passageway as another rumble was felt throughout the tower. And then another subsequent one. Each one growing in strength.<p>

And then a roar.

At least one of the three legendary Pokémon had just woken up.

* * *

><p>Falkner entered a room that, if he hadn't seen firsthand, he wouldn't have believed was possible. The room was full of a dazzling bright light as flames bathed the room, flowing in almost a pattern that seemed to form objects. A flame arc with pillars. A fire tornado. A waterfall of fire.<p>

It was like something out of a dream. This couldn't be possible. But Pidgeot's eyes were glued on something else. Eventually Falkner saw it too. Lying on a stone pillar in the center of all the flames was a sleeping Pokémon. A Pokémon unlike anything Falkner had ever seen before. It was strong, powerful, and beautiful; a godlike creature demanding reverence. It had long brown mane, and red and yellow markings near its face. On its back was a smoke-like mass, constantly moving. White spikes protruded its back around the like colored smoke. On its limbs were black iron bands, almost as if they were restraints to hold its great power. Without recognizing the creature, Falkner knew exactly what he was looking at.

A legendary Pokémon.

Pidgeot seemed to bow in veneration of the magnificent beast. Falkner, on the other hand, was so entranced; he slowly started approaching the slumbering beast, ignoring any common sense that would tell him to back away very, very slowly before he became cremated by the fire god.

Suddenly, one eye of the dormant Pokémon opened. It looked at the small boy, who had stopped in his tracks upon seeing the eyelid withdraw. _SHIT. SHITSHITSHITSHIT_. This was all that was going through Falkner's head.

_I'm about to die, because I was too stupid to run away._

Slowly coming to its feet, the Pokémon stared down the novice gym leader. Seconds ticked by and seemed like millennia to the terrified boy. Sweat poured down Falkner's skin, and he was unsure whether it was from the tension or the boiling heat surrounding the Pokémon.

Entei put one paw forward as he stepped toward the boy. Falkner flinched. Entei took another step. Falkner's mind began racing even faster about his imminent doom. The intimidating figure noticed this and stopped. Glaring, it tilted it's head back, and roared as a blast of heated air hot enough to kill Falkner came rushing forward toward the aforementioned boy.

* * *

><p>Morty raced down the steps, reaching the chamber. The presence of godlike power was unmistakable. The legendary Pokémon were here. His Gengar picked up on Falkner's presence, and guided Morty to one of the three chambers.<p>

Entei's chamber.

As Morty was about to enter the room, a blast of murderously hot air and flame flew out the doorway. Gengar instinctively put up a barrier of Wide Guard to protect them both, but they avoided most of the damage anyway, not being directly in the doorway. Saved by being a millisecond late.

As soon as the Heat Wave let up, Morty broke through Gengar's Wide Guard and dashed into the chamber.

* * *

><p>The blast knocked Falkner back at least half a football field in length. He was hurt badly, but somehow survived the death blast. How? He slowly stumbled to his knees and opened his eyes.<p>

There was his Pidgeot, blocking its trainer, apparently snapping out of its stupor upon seeing its trainer in mortal danger. It had taken the worst of the attack, using a Gust to attempt to redirect the air. It succeeded enough to protect it and its master, but Falkner's Pidgeot was bleeding badly, wheezing, and appeared to be on its last legs.

"Pidgeot!" Falkner shouted, somehow managing to stand up and sprint to his injured Pokémon. The bird fell into the boy's arms, its feathers horribly singed and covered in blood. Falkner could do nothing but gape in horror at his wounded friend. The level of damage was unable to fully register in Falkner's mind, and so he held his Pokémon tight, unable to do anything else.

The bird trainer looked up at the powerhouse of a Pokémon that had done such damage, and it just solemnly returned the stare. Entei reared his head to attack again, and Falkner closed his eyes and embraced his Pidgeot.

"Gengar, use Mirror Coat!"

Falkner opened his eyes to see a nearly invisible wall blocking and redirecting the heat and fire. Falkner turned around to see Morty standing there with his Gengar. Morty ran to his trainee.

"Here, give it this" Morty said, handing a Full Restore to Falkner. Falkner grabbed it and quickly fed it to his injured Pidgeot. "With damage like that, it'll take a while till it's at 100% again, but it should survive.

Falkner watched the wounds on his Pokémon slowly begin healing themselves. Some wounds would take time to heal, but the mortal blows on Pidgeot were sown up in a matter of minutes, at least to the point where the bleeding stopped. Pidgeot's eyes fluttered open and looked at its trainer. Falkner became so overjoyed he began crying.

"Thank God," he cried. "You're alive!"

As Morty watched the pair in relief, Entei roared again, and Morty snapped back into action.

"Move back" he instructed. Falkner obliged, taking his Pidgeot behind his elder. Morty looked up at Entei, at a loss of what to do. He couldn't just kill the legendary Pokémon. Not only was Morty incapable of doing that with his power, the point of the entire town of Ecruteak was to honor legends, not destroy them. But somehow he doubted that Entei would just accommodate them and go away.

Maybe he could put Entei to sleep for now, hopefully calming the beast.

"Gengar, use hyp-"

Morty was interrupted as a feathered blur flew at his opponent and smacked it upside the head with a Drill Peck. He gaped at Falkner's Pidgeot, who had defied its trainer's orders, ignored its injuries, and openly attacked a Pokémon which it should revere.

Entei attacked its flying opponent with a Flamethrower. Morty knew the Pidgeot couldn't handle another attack like that, Full Restore or not. It still was injured from the first attack.

"Gengar, use Mirror-"

"No, wait!" Falkner interrupted. Morty's glance shot to Falkner. Was he insane? Does he WANT his Pokémon to die?

"Look" Falkner said, pointing at his Pidgeot.

Pidgeot readied itself in front of the flame, and inhaled deeply. Gathering the flames and heat around it, the Pokémon powered up, and countered the flamethrower.

With a Heat Wave.

_Amazing!_ Morty only could look on in awe as the Pidgeot sent out an attack strong enough to rival and block Entei's Flamethrower. Sure, it was enhanced by the surrounding environment, and the whole situation was a flame covered catalyst, but still! To be able to learn an attack that quickly, and perform at such a high level was amazing! Morty turned to Falkner, who was grinning through pain, holding his injured arm that had come out of his makeshift sling during Entei's first attack. It was bleeding.

"Pidgeot doesn't like to lose. It likes seeing me get hurt even less. It wouldn't listen to me when I told it to stop." Falkner laughed. In reality, he was just as surprised as Morty. If he hadn't noticed his Pidgeot rearing for an attack, he wouldn't have stopped the Mirror Coat.

Entei reeled at the lingering effect of the Heat Wave. Roaring at the top of its lungs, the Pokémon shook the entire cavern with the sound of its voice. Falkner, Morty, and both of their respective Pokémon flinched at the sound. Suddenly, the similar yet distinctly different roars of the other two legendary Pokémon were heard echoing from their respective chambers. The three magnificent beasts met in the chamber, and broke through the ceiling. Dashing through the hole, they left the burning tower, separated, and ran as fast as the wind.

And just like that, they were gone.

The two trainers and their Pokémon just stared in shock and awe at the sight that they had just witnessed. Not only had they just seen all three legendary beasts of the Burned Tower, a sight almost nobody had ever seen, they had survived a battle with Entei.

Falkner collapsed on the floor, unintentionally laughing in disbelief. His Pidgeot came to him, and the two embraced.

"You did _so great_. I am so proud of you. You're amazing." Falkner cooed praise and love into his bird's ears, and the Pokémon smiled…if birds can smile, and cried in joy at its trainer. Morty watched the two hold each other. His Gengar came to his side, and Morty pet it. The ghostly duo walked up to their juniors.

"Morty…I…I can't believe…I mean we…"

_SMACK!_

The noise resounded throughout the cavern as Morty's hand collided with Falkner's face, sending him to the ground. Both Pokémon tensed up in shock, and Pidgeot turned to protect the blue haired teen. Falkner sat up, rubbing his cheek in surprise.

"Do you have _ANY_ idea how _STUPID_ you've been? You entered a _SACRED_ building housing three legendary Pokémon with _GODLIKE_ power, and then you tried to _FIGHT_ one? On your own? _ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME_?"

The group stared in astonishment at the sudden outburst. Falkner had never seen Morty angry. Even Gengar had never seen its trainer like this.

"I just…I…I mean…it's…" Words couldn't come to Falkner. Sure, he could rant about how he had no idea any danger was here, and he was trying to train in order to surpass _Morty's_ battle lesson, and Entei attacked _him_ first; but none of it seemed like it would placate the angry blonde standing over him.

"I…I'm sorry…" Falkner said eventually. He looked up at Morty, who just stood there in silence. Moments passed like this. Then Morty began trembling silently. Tears forming in the corner of his eyes, he lunged at his trainee and hugged him tightly.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was for you?" Morty said, his voice muffled with his face in Falkner's shoulder. Falkner sat there in surprise, feeling the warm embrace. Eventually he returned the hug, holding Morty from below.

"I'm sorry…I didn't want to worry you" was all Falkner could say.

"Don't _ever_ do that again. If you want something done, I'll help _teach_ you" Morty said, understanding why Falkner had come to the Burned Tower. "It's my job to teach and protect you."

It was there that Falkner realized that he didn't hate the blonde boy that was hugging him like he had formerly thought he had. Maybe they'd be okay working together.

The two boys stayed like that for a long time. Eventually, they slowly let go.

"You…for someone that plays by the rules…are so STUPID" Morty said to the boy, his familiar grin beginning to return to his face.

"You can't say I'm not determined though," Falkner laughed.

"And besides," said Falkner, turning to his Pidgeot in contentment. "I did succeed in teaching my Pokémon, didn't I?"

_End of Episode Six: The Genius of Stupidity_

* * *

><p>AN: I really rushed to get this chapter done for you all! Like I promised, there's finally the beginnings of Honorshipping.

I know Full Restore SHOULD make Pidgeot back to 100% but that seemed to implausible.

Morty's been really OOC the past 2 chapters, but he's been really stressed. The old Morty will be back now.

I never thought I'd have this much action in the story. I actually had no idea how Falkner was gonna teach Pidgeot Heat Wave. It just kinda happened.

In the next few chapters, Falkner and Whitney will finish their training with Morty. What will happen then? You'll just have to keep reading!

Also, THANK YOU for all the positive comments and reviews. Things like that are what keep me writing, they really are. I read and appreciate every single one.


	7. I Don't Like Him!

**Episode Seven: I Don't Like Him!**

"What in the world happened to you two?" Whitney shouted as she greeted the two boys in the doorway. Falkner was bruised and battered from taking Entei's attack, and Morty had attempted carrying him out of the chamber bridal style. The rubble from the hole in the ceiling made had come down and hadn't left a hole big enough for Pidgeot to fly them out. But going up the stairs from the legendary chamber to the Burned Tower, Morty tripped, dropping Falkner and they both toppled down the stairs. So when they appeared at the door, both boys looked rather worse for wear, steadying on each other for support.

"Stuff" Morty said, enjoying Falkner's arm around his shoulder. The boys hobbled through the door, and on Falkner's cue, let go of each other, much to Morty's disappointment. "I'll tell you all about it later. But right now I'm too tired to talk much."

"Good heavens, Young Master! What in God's name happened to you two?" A maid screeched, entering and seeing the exhausted duo. "Anyway, the elders have called for you, and said it was urgent."

The elderly woman grabbed Morty's arm and led him out of the room. The blonde was too tired to put up a fight and went along begrudgingly. Morty sighed as he was pulled away, saying goodbye to his newfound friend.

"See you later, Fal-chan. Don't wait up for me."

Whitney was surprised to see that Falkner wasn't irritated by the nickname. Normally Falkner shot down any type of friendliness from anyone, especially Morty. Something big happened. And she was going to find out exactly what it was.

The pink haired girl grabbed her cobalt counterpart and dragged him down a hallway in the opposite direction that Morty had been taken.

"What are you doing?" Falkner asked in surprise.

"Cleaning you up," Whitney said with a smile. "You're tired and filthy. The hot springs are just what you need."

* * *

><p>Falkner hissed as the steaming water hit his skin. His entire body ached, and he seemed even more sensitive to stimulation than normal. But soon enough he eased himself into the healing water and let out a sigh of relief.<p>

Whitney had pulled him into the changing room of the hot springs and told him to get in. Falkner was shocked at the idea of coed communal bathing. But Whitney grabbed something out of a cabinet and handed it to Falkner. Bathing suits. Why they were in an onsen-like area and how Whitney knew they were there, the boy had no idea. But he reluctantly agreed, and here he sat in shorts in the warm water. Whitney was changing in another room, as Falkner refused to strip in front of a girl, and she hadn't come out yet.

Falkner heard water splashing quietly as another body entered the large pond of heaven. Turning, he saw Whitney in a two-piece bathing suit wade through the water to reach Falkner.

"This feels so good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Falkner agreed. Normally he wouldn't be happy with being so close to the Pink-Haired Wonder, but with all the events of the past evening, he was just drained, and any kindness he had felt nice and refreshing, as did the hot spring.

"So," Whitney said, adjusting herself to sitting directly in front of Falkner, her eyes filled with curious excitement.

"Did you really see the legendary Pokémon?" she asked loudly.

"Yeah, I did" Falkner said, repeating what he had answered the last three times she had asked him once he had started his story in the changing rooms.

"And you even _FOUGHT_ one?"

"Yeah, Entei." Morty had told Falkner the name of the legendary Pokémon as they were leaving the tower.

"And you WON?"

"Well, not really. We almost died. And it kinda retreated with the other two Pokémon, though it could've easily killed us."

"Well _stiiiillll_! You survived fighting a legendary Pokémon! That's _soooooo_ awesome!" Whitney jumped up and down excitedly, water splashing with each movement. Falkner sighed, holding in his irritation at the behavior.

The two continued talking about the ordeal for a while, until eventually both parties quieted down enough to just lay and relax in the heated water. But eventually that silence was broken by Whitney, who was again struck by her curiosity.

"So," she said, looking at Falkner, who was unpleasantly brought back from his thoughts. "What's between you and Morty.

"W-W-What?"

"You two seemed awfully chummy when you guys returned. I've never seen you like that."

"What? You're…I mean…"

"Do you like him?"

"YOU'RE AN IDIOT!" Falkner yelled, blushing from what he would later blame on the hot water. He moved away from Whitney and looked away in anger.

"Why would you even THINK that?" He asked in anger.

"Well, it's just that normally you can't even stand being in the same room with him, much less have your arm around his.

"For the record, we were holding onto each other to stay standing!" Falkner retorted in rage. "And so maybe he's not as much of an asshole as I originally thought. He _did_ save my life. I don't see how that constitutes true love."

"True," Whitney said. "Okay, I was just wondering."

The two sat in an awkward silence for a moment until a thought hit Falkner.

"What the hell made you even think I would like guys in the first place?" he yelled, clearly offended.

"Falky, there's nothing wrong with it!"

"Well I don't! And don't call me that!"

"Alright then," Whitney said, mentally noting that Falkner was okay with similar nicknames from Morty. "If you say so. It's just you haven't seem interested in any girls, that's all."

"What?"

"Well, I mean, you _are_ spending a week with such a beautiful girl," Whitney said, her comment making Falkner want to smack her. "It'd be natural to develop feelings. And we _are_ at a hot spring and mansion-thing-place. There are maids everywhere, some of them not much older than us. Maids are supposed to be one of guys' biggest fetishes, right?"

"Who the hell told you that?"

"But," the girl continued. "You haven't seemed the least bit interested in anyone. Until you came in tonight practically feeling up Morty."

What the fuck? What the hell was the Pink-Haired Wonder rambling on about? Maids? Fetishes? Being gay? She was so stupid!

"Plus, you seem like the gay type," Whitney added.

That was the final jab.

"Well _EXCUSE ME_ for being _MYSELF_!" Falkner screamed. "And _SORRY_ I haven't been drooling over old ladies with overly heavy makeup and kimonos! You're an idiot! I'm leaving!"

With that, Falkner stormed out of the spring, went into the changing room, and slammed the door angrily; leaving Whitney alone in the water.

Whitney chuckled. Falkner was so much fun.

* * *

><p>Falkner threw himself onto his bed angrily and pulled the covers up to his chin. What the hell was Whitney talking about? Asking if he was gay? What the hell gave her that impression?<p>

And yet…Falkner's mind couldn't help but wander. He looked into the past 15 years of his life, and couldn't help but notice that there wasn't a single girl he had ever had romantic feelings for.

Did that mean he was gay? Falkner tossed and turned in his bed, too irked to go to sleep.

_No, it didn't_, he answered to himself. Whitney is just an idiot. He didn't like Morty.

But yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite put his feelings for the boy into words…

Eventually the tense teen relaxed and drifted off into sleep. But even in his dreams, he could not escape his turmoil.

* * *

><p>"Morty, what do you have to say for the events that happened tonight?"<p>

The Ecruteak gym leader sat at the end of a long table, filled on all other sides by angry elders. They had been grilling him on what had happened in the Burned Tower for the better part of an hour, and Morty had already explained everything that happened in great detail repeatedly to the old coots.

_Except how cute Fal-chan was clinging to me like that_, Morty thought to himself. The bridal style carrying had been especially nice, until Morty had tripped on some debris and fell, dropping them both. He had been so exhausted from all the running and the subsequent battle; he wasn't able to catch himself or Falkner. But holding each other while they walked home was cute too, and Morty smiled thinking of Falkner's body near his.

"Morty!" the head elder's voice snapped the boy out of his fantasy. A wrinkled relic of undeterminable age, the man glared at the young boy sitting across the table from him. "What do you expect to do now that a sacred Pokémon site has been destroyed, and after assaulting a legendary Pokémon? How can we possibly deal with this? You're the gym leader; I want _you_ to figure it out."

_The Burned Tower was already a wreck_, Morty thought to himself snidely. _All that changed is there's now an extra hole in the floor._

"Well, I don't see why anything has to change in the treatment of the Burned Tower. No harm has been done to the main structure. Or we could rebuild it, but I _kinda_ think that would destroy its authenticity as a historical location. Or we could close it. It's always been an accident waiting to happen. You can't tell me it wasn't dangerous."

A murmur of commotion swept through the crowd of elders, many appalled with the idea of closing the Burned Tower, but unable to refute anything that Morty had said.

"Enough!" the head elder's voice boomed to silence his colleagues. "That is very disrespectful to all our previous generations to even think about!"

"But am I wrong?" Morty said, waiting for someone to say something, anything, to tell him he wasn't. He knew that nobody would be able to. "Don't close it if you don't want to, but I say no real harm was done."

"NO REAL HARM?" the head elder shouted. "You ATTACKED one of the guardian deities of Ecruteak!"

"For the record, Entei attacked us first." Morty really should've taken a more respectful tone, but the defiant boy didn't care.

"Because you invaded its sacred chamber!"

"I was saving an _outsider_ who wasn't aware of our traditions, and can't be blamed for trespassing in an area that isn't openly stated as holy ground."

"He was your pupil! You should've prevented it! And what can we do now? What about the three legendary beasts?"

"They're back racing around the world, like I told you. They'll still be back. Do you really think one little scuffle will make them kill us all? Besides, it's not like they're our only deities."

The head elder stammered to come up with a response, but was unable to argue further with the gym leader. Eventually Morty excused himself from the room, leaving the elders left to debate.

"Sir, Morty was correct" Naoto said, trying unsuccessfully to calm the head elder. "The town will be fine. This isn't the first time the beasts have encountered humans in their den. If anything, seeing the three legendary Pokémon and being tested by one should be a positive thing. It's an approval from the gods."

The lead elder growled in anger at the lost argument.

"Those kids he's teaching better turn out to be the best gym leaders of their time, or someone will have to pay the consequences..."

_End of Episode Seven: I Don't Like Him!_

* * *

><p>AN: Gee, I've really been cranking these things out lately.

I love it when Falkner calls Whitney the Pink-Haired Wonder. I don't think he has since either chapter 1 or 2.

I hate writing about the elders. Or any fanmade characters. But in some stories, I guess it's necessary.

There was another scene of possible RollingWindShipping (FalknerXWhitney), but I was able to turn it into denial Honorshipping! Hooray for Whitney being a pain in the ass!

Whitney's more observant than she looks, isn't she?


	8. My Little Bluebird

**Episode Eight: My Little Bluebird**

_Today, I'm going to act completely normal with Morty. Nothing unusual. Last night didn't happen. We didn't battle Entei, Morty and I didn't become kinda somewhat friends, and Whitney didn't say that stupid gay shit. I can do this. I just have to play it cool._

This was the mantra Falkner was reciting to himself as he got dressed in his room. He had gone to bed before Morty had returned, and by the time he had awoke, Morty was already out of the room. The only trace of the boy ever being in the bedroom at all during the night was significantly more disheveled sheets on the older teen's futon.

Was Morty feeling awkward too? Why though? It's not like they actually did anything gay. Falkner was only agitated because stupid Whitney had to blabber on idiotically.

Eyeing his sore arm, Falkner remembered how he had been examined by a doctor in the mansion, who had said that it was just a sprain. The blood was from various scrapes and cuts, and had been patched up. As long as he didn't overexert his arm, it'd be fine relatively soon. And it wasn't his dominant arm, so it'd be okay.

Breathing out heavily as he put his over shirt on, Falkner did one last mental preparation and opened the door.

And tripped right over…something. Falling with a thud to the wooden floor, Falkner cried out in both pain and surprise.

Normally the boy had such grace. But ever since he had arrived at Ecruteak, the usual refinement of the bird user had gone out the window.

Glancing at what he had tangled his feet around, he noticed a small girl that couldn't be older than seven or eight also on the ground. Presumably she had been what his feet had stumbled on.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Falkner said, helping the dazed girl to her feet.

"Rebecca, I seemed to lose you somewhere and—Falkner, what did you do to her?" Whitney exclaimed upon seeing the scene. She quickly rushed to Rebecca's aid and brushed the dust off of her. "Are you alright, Rebecca, honey?"

The girl nodded.

"I'm SO sorry," Falkner said, trying to save the situation. Whitney whipped her head around to face him.

"Falkner, how could you be so rude and careless to a fellow guest, and a little girl at that? What if you had hurt her?"

"I'm fine…" Rebecca said quietly, but it was unheard by the irritated girl, who had become fairly protective over the child since they met. After the whole incident of the Night of the Red Moon, Rebecca had stayed over at the mansion since people aren't normally allowed out all night during that time. A phone call had been made to her house to alleviate her parents' worry, and the timid girl had spent the night with Whitney, who figured she'd feel more comfortable with her than alone in an unfamiliar room. They had chatted and gotten to know each other, and Whitney, who seemed to take a sisterly approach to many young children in her life, had become Rebecca's mother figure for the night.

"I said I was sorry!" Falkner said, defending himself. "It was an accident. She was in my doorway and I didn't notice her. How was I supposed to know somebody else was staying in this wing?"

"Well maybe if you weren't so rough and absentminded, you would've seen her. God, I thought Violet was supposed to be a place of dignity and grace. Some representative you are."

"What did you say? Oh, like you're so dignified and ladylike. In case you forgot, you bulldozed right over me in our first meeting!"

"Well maybe you shouldn't have been in my way!

Rebecca just watched the two teens go at each other's throats with increasing volume and began to become nervous and upset. Whitney wasn't being intentionally mean, but hadn't gotten much more than a wink of sleep with Rebecca around. The small girl couldn't help but feel responsible for the clash, and her guilt was showing on her face in the beginning of tears.

"Ah, cheer up Rebecca!" Morty exclaimed happily, appearing in the hall and scooping the girl up in his arms with his normal laid back attitude, but with a happy, fatherly smile. "Today you get to go back to Mommy! You've missed her, haven't you?"

"Uh huh," Rebecca nodded, totally taken by Morty's mood, her eyes drying. She put her arms around his neck and he prepared to carry her away.

"You two really should act more mature around a child," Morty said admonishingly to the duo of younger teens sitting on the floor, snapping out of their argument in surprise because of their senior's sudden and jovial arrival.

* * *

><p>The two trainees sat awkwardly at the breakfast table, quietly staring at their food.<p>

"I'm sorry," Whitney said, breaking the silence first. "I shouldn't have snapped; it was just an accident. I've just been on edge with all the excitement of last night." Tiredly, she rubbed her eyes, the exhaustion showing in her gaze.

"Me too," Falkner said. "I was pretty rude to you." Falkner wanted to add that he had a right to be rude, with her stupid comments last night, but he bit his tongue on those thoughts.

"Eh, just forget about it."

"We cool, then?"

"Yeah."

The two continued eating, the mood lightened upon the entrance of their Pokémon, coming in smelling the food. Like Falkner, his Pidgeot was bandaged in some areas, but was looking a lot healthier than the night before. The bandages were just a precaution, and the bird would be back to 100% as soon as Falkner took it to the Pokémon Center. Falkner rubbed the Pokémon affectionately, nuzzling into its neck, it doing the same to him, cooing.

"Well, I see you two have both made up" Morty said, appearing in the room and sitting down at the table contentedly. Both Falkner and Whitney just met his gaze in a silent, motionless gesture of yes. The trio continued eating and finished with little interruption.

"Your battle lesson is in three hours," Morty said as they cleaned up. "You can do whatever you feel like until then.

He watched as the gears turned in both of his students' heads and guessed what they were going to do. Whitney looked like she needed a rest, so she'd probably stay within the mansion. Falkner needed to heal his Pidgeot before the lesson, Morty knew that. Maybe he'd join the boy…

* * *

><p>"Where are you going?" Morty asked as he walked up to Falkner, who was sitting on the floor putting his socks on.<p>

"Going out for a bit." The boy responded, grabbing his shoes and slipping them onto his feet. "I'll be back in time for the lesson, don't worry."

"I know you will" Morty said, putting on his own shoes.

"Where are you going?" Falkner questioned, seeing the actions of the older boy.

"With you. I have some stuff I need to get at the PokéMart."

* * *

><p>"Do you always wear that scarf?" Falkner asked as they walked through the sleepy morning streets of Ecruteak, eyeing the piece of purple cloth the same shade as his headband wrapped around Morty's neck. The ends were red and frayed, but they appeared to be intentionally worn that way. A simple pin was fastened on part of the cloth to complete the design.<p>

"Hmm? Yeah." Morty said absentmindedly.

"Doesn't it get hot?" questioned the blue haired teen. It was only early autumn, and even at night it wasn't too cold yet. The mansion they stayed at was also heated and air conditioned, so no extra clothing was needed beyond the usual.

"Not really. I like it. Why? Do you not like it?" Morty examined the scarf that accompanied his usual ensemble of black, purple, and white. He half began to take it off upon Falkner's questioning.

"No, not at all!" Falkner said, gesturing for him to put it back on. Morty did so. "I was just wondering because I think I'd get hot in that. My clothes are all thin this time of year, but you're always covered in sleeves and a scarf. I was just curious."

"I guess I don't really notice the temperature around me" Morty said, brushing one end of the scarf over his shoulder. This was probably the first casual conversation between the two boys that they both seemed to genuinely enjoy. Morty smiled to himself at the calmness around them. He reached out to grab Falkner's hand, but Falkner flinched upon the touch, not seeing it as intended contact, but a mistaken brush against the other. Morty sighed mentally in defeat. Okay, so they weren't at that stage yet.

"Look, there it is" Falkner said, pointing at the Pokémon Center and adjoining PokéMart. Some of the more modern and up to date towns had the PokéMart actually inside the Pokémon Center, which was rebuilt larger to adjust to the extra business. Ecruteak, along with Violet for that matter, did not have that setup. They simply had two different buildings as had been the way since antiquity. Ecruteak's Pokémon Center was painted a darker and more faded red than the normal vibrant rooftop seen in most cities. This was intentional, done to match the older and somber surroundings in the city.

The boys went to the Pokémon Center first, and Falkner handed his Pidgeot's Pokéball to the attendant at the desk. He had placed his Pokémon inside the capsule before leaving so it'd be quicker to heal it. Within minutes his Pokémon was returned to him.

The next stop was at the adjacent PokéMart. Morty bought some items while Falkner perused the shelves, and in the end the younger boy decided to restock on a few items for when he went home to Violet. He accompanied Morty to the counter, upon which the blonde surprised his younger companion.

"Are you two paying separate or together?" the cashier asked.

"Together" Morty said quickly, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and handing the man on the other side of the counter a wad of small bills.

"Morty," Falkner protested. "I don't need you paying for me! I brought my own money when I came here."

"Too late, already paid for" Morty said with a smiling tune in his voice. He handed Falkner one of the bags, said goodbye to the clerk, and left the store, Falkner following him.

* * *

><p>"Morty," Falkner said for what seemed like the umpteenth time to Morty. "I really didn't need you to pay for me."<p>

"Well I felt like it," Morty said, beating down any and all protests of Falkner's. "And it's already done, so who cares?" The two boys were headed back home, but taking a more leisurely route as per Morty's demand.

"Well…thanks for paying then…" Falkner said, tired of complaining.

"No problem Fal-chan."

The conversation Whitney and he had last night hit Falkner, and the boy was suddenly aware of how close they were being.

"Don't…call me that" Falkner murmured.

"What?"

"I said don't call me that. I don't like it."

"Well then, what should I call you?"

"Huh?"

"What name should I give you? Oh! I have one. How about Bluebird?" Morty ruffled Falkner's mop of hair, irritating the boy, who immediately began fixing his messy hair.

"I'd rather you call me by my _actual_ name, like a normal person" Falkner said. He was uncomfortable with how close they were being. But at the same time, it wasn't that the teen disliked their relationship. It was just…weird.

"And what would that be?" Morty said jokingly.

"_Falkner_."

"Meh, I like Bluebird better."

"But—"

"Shhh" Morty said, putting his finger to Falkner's lips in a playful gesture. Falkner gave a sigh of defeat, and they continued walking home.

"My Little Bluebird" Morty hummed to himself.

_End of Episode Eight: My Little Bluebird_

* * *

><p>AN: The main conflict (the three legendary pokemon and teaching Pidgeot Heat Wave) is over, but I still can't end this arc. Hmm...oh well.

I didn't plan the argument with Whitney and Falkner, so there's no real conclusion. Sorry. It just kinda happened.

I meant for the rematch of the battle lesson to happen in chapter 7, but here it is the end of chapter 8 and it still hasn't happened. Oh well. I guess this is just how a story does during development.

Also, I just fixed all the scene changes in all 8 chapters with line breaks. In Microsoft Word the document looks so much nicer...and has lines for scene changes. But takes that out. I edited it before, but even my edits were erased. But I finally got it. It'll look prettier now. Sorry for the ugly impossible to tell scene changes before.

The past few chapters have seemed slightly shorter than the original ones when reading them, even though when I'm typing it they feel relatively the same length...it's weird. I make it a point that all of Iridescent Wings' chapters are at least 4 pages long in Microsoft Word, which is well over 2000 word count.


	9. The Rematch

**Episode Nine: The Rematch**

"Okay, class. Time for part two of our battle lesson. I hope you all did your homework!" Morty clapped his hands together, his outdoor classroom back in session. But he went without the fake scholarly appearance and desks and just had the actual necessities for the day: Pokémon and trainers.

Whitney and Falkner eyed each other somewhat nervously, yet confident as well. They both knew they had a winning strategy against each of their opponents.

"Well then, I guess we'll begin!" Morty exclaimed with a smile, throwing both Pokéballs into the air, the familiar Ghastly and Magnemite appearing in the red light.

"You know what to do," the elder boy said. "Knock them out before they knock you out. I hope you learned from yesterday about battling against type disadvantages."

"There's always a solution" Falkner said under his breath.

"Well put. Then battle!"

* * *

><p>First up was Whitney. Much more awake after a three hour nap while Falkner and Morty were shopping, she brought out her Miltank and made a victory sign. Falkner sighed at the childish gesture, but tried to think positive. At least it meant she thought she could defeat the apparition that was her opponent.<p>

"Go Miltank! Take the offensive and hit it with a Tackle!"

The cow Pokémon charged forward at the ghost. Falkner looked at the girl in surprise. Surely she knew by now that normal type moves didn't work on ghosts. The Ghastly looked equally surprised, not even moving to dodge the ineffective attack. But as Miltank came within attacking distance, a glint appeared in its eyes.

"Now Miltank, use Rollout!"

Caught off guard, the Ghastly had no time to dodge the rock type attack, and was smacked head on with a solid hit. It wobbled backwards, but regained composure quickly.

"Good job using the element of surprise," Morty said. "But to really do damage with Rollout, you need to use it repeatedly. Don't think for a second that Ghastly will fall for the same trick again."

"Don't underestimate me, Morty!" Whitney said, more determined than normal.

"Alright then. Ghastly, use Confuse Ray!"

Ghastly's eyes glowed, and an eerie beam of light was shot at Miltank. Too slow to dodge, it hit the pink cow easily. Miltank began wobbling with its movements, a dazed expression on its face.

"Oh no!" Whitney cried. "Miltank!" Morty smirked.

"Use Rollout again!" Whitney commanded. Her Pokémon pondered for a moment, but ended up flying in the wrong direction and hitting a nearby ledge that stood above them like a small cliff. Small stones fell from the rock as Miltank hurt itself in confusion. Falkner looked worriedly at Whitney, but it almost looked like that missed move gave her an idea.

"Ghastly, use Psywave!" Morty yelled, a pink psychic wave being sent out from his ghostly Pokémon. It hit the confused Miltank hard, rattling the bovine's brain. But, upon closer examination, the second psychic wave almost seemed to stop the confusing first one.

"Ghastly, zoom in before they can counterattack and hit them with a Faint Attack!"

But this was what Whitney was waiting for.

"Miltank!" She hollered, her Pokémon still by the rocky wall. "Slam into that cliff and create a Rock Slide!"

The cow hit the ledge hard enough to make the ground quake, and just as the Ghastly closed in on its target, large boulders came crashing down. Unable to call his Pokémon back in time, Morty watched his ghost get pummeled by the rocks.

"Ghastly!"

"And now, while it's dazed!" Whitney said; victory within her sights. "Hit it with a strong super effective Bite!"

Miltank turned from the rocky wall to see its opponent no more than several feet away. Lunging forward, the Ghastly had no time to dodge. Miltank sunk its teeth into the ghost's body, which had been made physical for the failed Faint Attack, and Ghastly cried out in pain. With a shudder, it fainted, and Morty quickly called it back into its Pokéball.

"Miltank, we did it!" Whitney cheered, running up to her companion and hugging it tight in success. They both jumped up and down gleefully as Morty approached them.

"Good job, Whitney" Morty said. "You passed with flying colors. You really learned how to work around your weaknesses."

"Thank you so much!"

"But don't think I would've fallen for some of those traps in a real battle" Morty said, regaining his superiority. "The Tackle to Rollout combo was brilliant, but I've seen it before. In the future, remember that some techniques are not exclusive to you."

"Yes, alright." Whitney said, still thrilled by her victory. She knew in an all-out battle, she wouldn't have won. This Pokémon was a weak one Morty caught specifically for this battle. But still, she WON!

"Alright Falkner," Morty said, turning to his other student. "Your turn."

* * *

><p>Falkner and Morty stood opposite each other on the battlefield, cleared off from Whitney's battle. Whitney and her Miltank watched from the sidelines, eating a bento boxed lunch her mom sent over with a Spearow. Falkner had given the bird Pokémon some special bird food, which it was thoroughly enjoying.<p>

"You can do it, Falkner!" Whitney cheered between mouthfuls.

"Go, Pidgeot!" Falkner yelled as he threw his freshly healed bird's Pokéball into the air. The bird's strong, proud features were outlined in red before it burst out and materialized. Falkner pet its neck, whispering words of encouragement. In reality, Falkner was a little worried. Sure, his Pidgeot learned Heat Wave. But could it successfully pull the powerful move off without the stimulating environment of Entei's flaming chamber?

But Falkner readied himself and his partner regardless. He was going to show Morty and Whitney his skills, show them that he was able to be a good gym leader. (In other times, he doubted himself whether he could lead a gym, but right now he wanted to prove it to everyone)

"Battle…begin!" Morty shouted, waving his hand in the air. His Magnemite rushed forward toward the bird, and Pidgeot returned the enthusiasm by flying into the air at its opponent as well.

"Magnemite, clip its wings early with a Thundershock!"

Sparks of electricity illuminated the magnet Pokémon, and a bolt of lightning was sent out, crackling loudly in the air.

"Pidgeot, dodge it!" The bird did evade the lightning successfully. If there was one thing Falkner was convinced of about his Pidgeot, it was its speed. Bird Pokémon were usually exceptionally fast, while Magnemite, being a steel type, was extremely slow by comparison. Rising in the air and then looping into a dive, the Pidgeot anticipated its master's orders.

"Hit it from behind with a Drill Peck!" Falkner ordered; his Pokémon's instincts exactly in tune with his. The attack hit dead on, and sent the Magnemite flying in the opposite direction. Not much damage was done, but that was okay. Falkner had achieved his main objective of gaining distance between the Pokémon.

"Now, charge up for a Heat Wave!" Falkner cried. Since his Pokémon wasn't used to using the attack, it would probably take a moment to charge. He was right. Pidgeot inhaled deeply, trying to summon its inner strength found in the battle with Entei.

"Charge in and hit that bird with a Slam!" Morty shouted to his Pokémon. The steel Pokémon did as told. As it got within range, Falkner decided his Pidgeot was ready.

"Now, Pidgeot! Heat Wave!" The bird exhaled hard, but only enough flames for an Ember-type attack came out. The bird user and his Pokémon were both surprised, and Magnemite took this chance to barrel into its adversary.

"Pidgeot!" Falkner bellowed as his Pokémon began to lose altitude. _Damn it_. The Heat Wave wasn't successful. Just as Falkner had feared, it was hard to summon such strength outside of the ideal environment, since Pidgeot wasn't normally adept at non-physical attacks.

"Now, Magnemite; hit it with another Thundershock!"

The familiar static surrounded the magnet, but Pidgeot snapped out of its free-fall, and when the electric attack was sent out, the bird Pokémon successfully dodged it again. It dodged by flying straight up at its foe, and sent it flying into the stratosphere with a kick.

Heat Wave didn't work last time, but it was the only way that they could beat Morty's Magnemite. So Falkner decided it was worth another try.

"Pidgeot, try another Heat Wave!" The bird looked at its trainer. In a nod of agreement, it started summoning its power again. Magnemite soon stopped ascending and began plummeting. But the attack and flight had jarred its mind, and none of Morty's commands could work. In a sense it was just a moving target for Falkner, falling straight at his Pidgeot.

"Now, Pidgeot! Heat Wave!" This time, when Pidgeot exhaled, a pillar of fire and wind came with the breath. Falling directly into the vortex of heat, Magnemite had no chance, and hit the ground with a thud, unconscious.

Falkner had won.

"Yes! Heat Wave worked!" Falkner exclaimed in triumph. His Pidgeot flew back to him, and Falkner hugged it tightly, feeling the soft warmth of its feathered body.

"Good job," Morty said. "But you'll need to work on the Heat Wave to be able to access it in any battle on a moment's notice."

"Yeah, yeah. I know" Falkner said, snapping more than he meant to. He didn't want the mood of victory to simmer down quite yet.

"That was amazing, Falkner!" Whitney complimented, walking toward the boy. "I had no idea a Pidgeot could learn an awesome attack like that!"

"Thanks," Falkner smiled. "You did awesome too. You taught your Miltank more than just Bite, didn't you?"

"Well, I had to come up with an awesome strategy, to rival you!" Whitney said happily, their feud from the morning long forgotten.

"You both improved a ton in just one day" Morty said, joining the ecstatic circle of Pokémon and trainers, the Magnemite he used safe and healing in a Pokéball. "In fact, you all did so well; I think we should all go out to eat tonight."

"Really?" Whitney exclaimed happily. "Awesome!"

"Is there any good places in Ecruteak to eat?" Falkner asked. "All I've seen is historical and tourist sites. Please tell me you have decent eateries too."

"Of course we do, silly Bluebird" Morty answered, ruffling Falkner's hair. Falkner cursed under his breath, but it was unheard by the older boy.

"Bluebird?" Whitney asked questioningly, her eyes filled with mischievous curiosity.

"N-Nothing…" Falkner said, trying to hide his blushing.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, there were plenty of good restaurants in Ecruteak. Because there are so many tourists, naturally there'd be necessary to have enough food; Morty told the two teens he was treating. Falkner felt stupid for not realizing that. The trio ended up at a traditional-looking Japanese themed eatery. But inside it was filled with lights, tables, and everything a diner needed.<p>

"Dinner for three, please" Morty told the waitress attending the door, and soon enough they were seated at a booth with all kinds of food covering the table to the point of overflow. Falkner and Whitney were seated on one side, and Morty was seated on the other.

"Are… are you sure you have enough money to cover all this?" Falkner said, eyeing the smorgasbord of delicacies sitting in front of him.

"Of course," Morty said. "Dig in." He pointed at Whitney, who had already done so and was devouring a plate of Kitsune Udon in front of her.

Hesitantly eyeing the plates, Falkner obliged and grabbed a plate of exotic sushi. He liked sushi.

And despite his attempts at being poised and proper, the dinner that evening left all three diners smiling and laughing so much, the dinner was almost an afterthought. And Falkner didn't dislike a minute of it.

* * *

><p>"Oh my God, I am so <em>FULL<em>!" Whitney said loudly as they exited the restaurant.

"Well you should be, with all you ate!" Falkner retorted in a non-accusatory manner. "You looked like a Snorlax back there, scarfing down everything in sight."

"Hmph," Whitney responded. "Then maybe I'll just go hibernate for a few weeks like a Snorlax, then."

Morty watched his two friends happily as they talked, and the three walked home in the twilight of dusk as if nothing else in the world mattered.

"Morty, someone came by to see you" A maid greeted the trio when they returned home.

"Really? Who?" Morty asked. He wasn't expecting anyone.

"Well I'll just take you to him. He stayed here to wait for your return."

The maid led the three teens down a hallway into a room and left them there to attend to other business. Sitting in the room was a seemingly pompous, arrogant man, wearing a purple suit, a white cape, and had his brown hair slicked back. His red bowtie completed the ensemble. He looked like he just walked out of What Not to Wear in Falkner's opinion.

"Hello, Morty."

"Eusine…"

_End of Episode Nine: The Rematch_

* * *

><p>AN: DUN DUN DUUUUNNNN! Eusine! What does he want?

I really didn't like the name for this chapter, but I couldn't think of anything else.

Sorry this chapter is so bland.

Looks like this training arc will go longer than I thought.

Just a thought: Does anyone have any ideas of any Whitney ships? I've seen a bunch but I don't like any of them. Not gonna make a story off of it, but I might include a bit in here someday, if I ever find a pairing with her I like.

I don't like straight or yuri pairings, so it's hard.

Hell, I don't normally like Whitney, period. But she's grown on me training with Falkner and Morty.


	10. Stirring Feelings I Didn't Know I Had

**Episode Ten: Stirring Feelings I Didn't Know I Had**

"Hello, Morty."

"Eusine…"

The caped man stood up and strode toward the trio, somehow startling the two younger trainers, though they weren't quite sure why. Falkner glanced up at Morty, who was noticeably taken aback and had suddenly lost his usual air of confidence and mystery. What Falkner saw now was a boy who was finally showing his youth, in a mix of emotions of anger, shock, and sadness, though these were only very faintly seen on the older teen's face. At the time, Falkner didn't realize that this was something that most people couldn't read as easily as he could by looking at Morty.

There was a long silence as the two elder men stared at each other, while Whitney and Falkner just stared back and forth in confusion. Eventually, Morty broke the silence.

"So…what business do you have here? I thought you were still on your yearlong pilgrimage."

"Is it true?" Eusine snapped, grabbing Morty by the collar and scarf. Falkner jumped upon seeing Morty's apprehension, but Whitney signaled for him to stay quiet. Falkner forced himself to relax, and then wondered why he had become so angry from such a simple gesture. "Did the three legendary beasts appear before you last night?"

"Uh…yeah?" Morty said; his arms raised in a gesture of _'I have no idea why you're angry'_.

Lightly shoving Morty in anger, Eusine sighed furiously and paced the room.

"Do you have ANY idea how long I've been searching for Suicune?" the man exclaimed as his audience of three watched him wander around the room ranting. Falkner and Whitney looked at the man confusedly, while Morty just sighed tiredly and shook his head as if he saw this happen on a regular basis.

"For over _fifteen years_!" Eusine yelled, answering his own question. "For almost my _entire life_, I have searched for that majestic Pokémon! And now you have the nerve to encounter not just Suicune, but _all three_ legendary Pokémon? At the same time? How dare you steal my calling!"

"And how is that _our_ fault?" Falkner muttered under his breath. "It's not our damn problem that you're a loser."

Eusine's head whipped around to face the cobalt-colored teen, having heard the murmured comment.

"What did you say?" Eusine said, glaring at Falkner. "I have spent my entire life searching for my dream. I am one of the most revered scholars on legendary Pokémon, and the only man to receive the title Mystery Man.* And you dare talk back to me?"

"Well then, you'd _THINK_ that by now you would've actually _DONE_ something noteworthy in your life by now!" Falkner yelled in the man's face. "It's not _MY_ fault that you suck so much!" He did not like Eusine one bit. He was a pompous, conceited asshole. But even more than that, there was something else that irked Falkner. Something that Falkner couldn't quite describe. It had to do with Eusine and Morty, but Falkner couldn't quite put his finger on why he was so riled. But that was a mystery for another time.

Eusine took a step back, shocked at what Falkner had said. Morty and Whitney looked at Falkner with wide eyes, while Falkner glared defiantly at his attacker.

"I don't know who the hell you are, or who the hell you _think_ you are, but you are NOT coming into Morty's house, yelling at him and us, and acting like you own the whole damn place!" Falkner was surprised at his own rage. Feelings long felt in his heart had been set to boiling upon Eusine's arrival, and had come spilling out.

"Oho…" Eusine chuckled in an obviously fake tone after gathering himself after the sudden verbal attack. "So _you_ are the one who went to the Burned Tower and saw the beasts with Morty…" Falkner just continued glaring daggers at the man, which was taken accurately as a yes.

"Well aren't you something" Eusine continued. "But then again, it's not like you were tested by _Suicune_ or anything. It was just Entei. You're still nothing compared to me." Eusine stood above the boy pompously, feeling that he had won the argument. With a smirk, he turned away and prepared to leave.

"Morty, I have to say I think that if you've chosen that boy, you've seriously lost your sense of taste." With that, Eusine disappeared down a hall. Neither Whitney nor Falkner understood what Eusine had meant. They turned to Morty, who's normal appearance of calm was only very slightly marred with anger. But the older boy said nothing about the subject, leaving the three remaining people to exit the room, the entire happy mood of the evening gone.

* * *

><p><em>Who the fuck did that Eusine think he was?<em> Falkner thought to himself in frustration. He was laying in his futon, unable to go to sleep due to his anger. What the hell made Eusine so special? That guy irritated Falkner more than any other person he had ever met. The Violet gym leader tossed and turned in the dark, muttering angry curses about Eusine to himself.

Eusine had decided that he was going to spend the night at Morty's mansion. And, due to his holier-than-thou nature and stick up his ass, the man had gotten his own wing to reside in that night. To make matters worse, Morty was nowhere to be found, his futon undisturbed. For some reason, this upset Falkner. He didn't know why. When had he grown accustomed to sleeping next to his sempai? Last he remembered, he was disgusted to live in even the same town as Morty. And that had been just a few days ago. Yet it seemed so long ago…

Sitting up and jumping to his feet, Falkner decided to go for a walk, seeing as it was unlikely that he'd be able to sleep. Grabbing his customary gi and outfit, he soundlessly flung it over his body and slipped out the door.

* * *

><p>"For the millionth time, we're <em>not<em> dating, Eusine."

Morty sat in a recliner in Eusine's giant room, made especially for him, as years ago it was commonplace for Eusine to spend a great deal of time in the mansion. The room was furnished with rugs, chairs, and bookcases full of the topics of Eusine's studies. It was like stepping into another world when comparing the room to the rest of the mansion. Lit by candlelight, it had an air of antiquity like the rest of the building, but from a very different world.

"Well alright," Eusine laughed bitterly. "But he sure was touchy when it came to the topic of you."

"He's a moody guy. Besides, you tend to rub people the wrong way when you first meet them. First impressions really aren't your strong suit."

"Really?" Eusine swiveled around in his chair and wheeled it over toward Morty. "If I remember correctly, I had no problem charming _you_." His face appeared right in front of Morty's with a smug smile. Morty waved him away and looked in the other direction.

"That was a long time ago…"

"Was it? The memories are still strong in _my_ mind. Don't tell me you've forgotten the time we-"

"Stop. This isn't what you came here for. I gave you all the information I got on Suicune and the other two legendary Pokémon as soon as you got here. What more do you want?"

"The truth. Are you in love with the boy?"

Morty was silent.

"So that's a yes."

"I never said-"

"You can't lie to me, Morty" Eusine said, taking a tone of superiority. "You were mine for over two years. I know all about you and how you work."

"I was just a kid then…"

"And now you're trying to replicate the situation you had then. You're taking the young boy you see yourself in, and trying to find happiness with him. Why don't you kiss him? I bet he'd like that. Why, it probably won't be long until you-"

"I don't need to hear this." Morty got up angrily. Seeing Eusine and talking to him had brought up all kinds of emotions and memories that he didn't want or need to remember. Why was he even doing this? To try and make Morty miserable?

Morty got up and went to the door, ignoring Eusine's request to stay in his condescending tone.

"I'm nothing like you. And I don't need you. So spend the night and then get the hell out of my house."

* * *

><p>The mansion that Morty's family owned was large, taking up many acres of land. But even larger was the amount of property surrounding the mansion. The fields and forests that spanned miles beyond the house was also technically their property. It was there that Falkner found himself, traversing through the thin forestry dotting the plains. Bright moonlight shone on everything, giving the night a soft glow. It was beautiful. Eventually Falkner found a pond in a clearing of trees, with the calming moonlight shining off the surface, patterned with the occasional lilypad or cattail. On the edge of the pond Falkner saw some Politoed hopping, croaking messages to each other. Masquerian and Noctowl flew through the sky, occasionally calling out. Various other Pokémon were also present, and the whole scene was one of nature's nighttime beauty, available only for those willing to wait out the evening and trek out into the land relatively untouched by humans. The scene calmed Falkner, and he sat down on a rock on the water's edge to think.<p>

What was the relationship between him and Morty? His midnight stroll had helped clear his mind of some of the Eusine-related anger, leaving Falkner to question his actions. He had been really defensive of Morty. As if he felt that he needed to protect the older boy. But not like lifesaving protection. There was something between Eusine and Morty, some relationship that Falkner couldn't quite work out, and Falkner was beginning to think that that relationship was why Eusine made him so angry. Was Falkner actually developing feelings for Morty? That seemed impossible, but lately he hadn't been able to shake the blonde from his mind. The boys had become closer during the duration of Falkner's visit, even though it had only been three days since Falkner arrived in Ecruteak. How can such little time create so much change?

But did he love Morty? Ugh, how could he be sure of that? It had only been three days. He hardly knew the guy. But…what else could he call the feelings? Falkner was so confused…

"Mind if I join you?"

Falkner turned to see Morty appearing out of the brush, as if called by Falkner's thoughts. The sudden appearance shocked the younger teen.

"S-Sure…but how did you know where I…"

"This is where I come sometimes to think," Morty said, answering before Falkner finished. "I had no idea you were here. It's a nice surprise though."

"G-Great minds…think alike…I guess" For some reason Falkner was having a hard time forming words.

"Yep" Morty chuckled.

The two boys sat in a silence for a long time. Falkner sat back-to-back with Morty on the rock, feeling really awkward after his silent soliloquy about Morty earlier. Falkner was dying to ask Morty about his connection to Eusine, but he was too nervous. Eventually he managed to bring the questions to his lips.

"What's between you and Eusine?"

"What?" Morty turned around to face the trainer.

"I mean…you guys just seem…"

"He's my ex." Morty said painfully.

"What?" Falkner wasn't sure whether to be surprised, relieved, or upset at the answer.

"He's my ex. I'm…I'm bisexual, Fal-chan." Morty finished the last bit sheepishly, nervously and unsure of how Falkner would take the news. It's not like Morty tried to hide his sexuality, but it's easy not to notice things like that with some people.

"…oh." Falkner said after a long pause. For some reason, this fact just made Falkner all the more nervous.

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh, um…no reason. You guys just seemed to have a…connection…or something. I…wasn't sure what it was."

"Oh."

"…so…you're not…together anymore?"

"What? No. Eusine and I were raised close together and had similar interests, so we've known each other since childhood. When I was fourteen he trained me…kinda like us now…"

"Kinda like us now…" Falkner repeated quietly.

"Eventually…he came onto me and…the first kiss was kinda forced, but I sort of liked him, so soon I…returned his affections."

"Oh."

"But we had all kinds of problems. Eusine's…not easy to get along with."

"You can say that again."

"He's…dedicated. And possessive. Of everything he wants or has. And eventually I had had enough. It was a…mutual breakup in the end…there were rumors that he had been seeing another person…"

"That asshole."

"Yeah, but...that was over a year ago. But he's still bitter."

"Really now. I never would've guessed."

The two boys chuckled awkwardly, then turned away from each other, blushing. Again they were silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Both boys were uncharacteristically uneasy, especially Morty.

"When…when you said 'kinda like now', did you mean…"

"T-That was nothing" Morty said quickly, turning again to face Falkner, who was still not facing him. "I…I mean, it's…not like I…well…"

"Oh."

"I mean…not that you're…not that you're not…attractive…and stuff…"

"What?" Falkner turned around in surprise to see Morty never like he had before. Here, in the moonlight, Morty sat pouring out his feelings to Falkner. The normally calm and suave teen was anxious, tense, and worried due to putting out his entire heart out for the other boy to view. Morty looked into Falkner's eyes with an indescribable look of fear, worry, and most of all, love. His golden locks were paled in the soft light, and his eyes glowed. He was beautiful to Falkner.

"So are you" Falkner whispered to himself, captivated by the boy sitting beside him, his height making Falkner look up at him. Maybe…maybe he _did_ like Morty…just a bit. This vulnerable side was something Falkner had never seen. Had Falkner's feelings been stirred by Eusine's arrival, his anger a result of feelings unknown to him, the underlying emotions of love?

"What?"

Shit. Falkner didn't realize that he had said that out loud.

"Uh, it's just…I mean…" Falkner fumbled on his words, coherency refusing to come.

The boys turned toward each other, their hands brushing on the rock. Falkner jumped by the surprising touch, while Morty took a chance and grabbed Falkner's hand, holding it softly.

"Morty, what are you-"

But Falkner was cut off as Morty's face loomed in front of his. The blonde's lips met his, and all sound was muffled as their mouths connected. Falkner's eyes opened wide in shock, but he made no effort to move away. Morty's eyes were closed, his lashes tickling Falkner's face as Morty held Falkner's face in place with his hands. His tongue prodded the bird user's lips for entrance, which Falkner allowed, unable to think anymore, his mind completely gone. Morty's tongue dove into Falkner's mouth, exploring every inch of the cavity, savoring in the taste. Falkner tried to motion back with his tongue, but was unable to do much out of pure shock. Eventually Morty released Falkner, and both boys gasped for air.

In that single instant, their entire relationship had drastically changed. Morty had shown Falkner his true feelings, and they had kissed for the first time. They could never go back to the way things were before. The two boys looked at each other, both seeming surprised at what had just happened.

"I'm sorry." Morty said, starting to turn away from Falkner. He had forced himself onto Falkner and wasn't even sure if Falkner had feelings for him the level he had for the younger teen. He was an idiot. How could he do something like that when—

Morty's mental reprimanding stopped as he felt soft hands against his face. He turned to see Falkner grasping for him this time.

"Don't be" Falkner said, as he leaned in for another kiss.

*Eusine's title in HGSS. In the original G/S/C he was called Mysticalman.

_End of Episode Ten: Stirring Feelings I Didn't Know I Had_

* * *

><p>AN: They finally kiss! I'm so so so so so so so so *goes on saying "so" for an hour until smacked by Falkner* so sorry that it took ten entire chapters to get to this point. (I know many people on are just here to fap and go) Originally it was NOT supposed to take this long.

Also, sorry Morty's so OOC again. He seems so much more vulnerable alone with Falkner. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this chapter to go this way with his OOCness, it just kinda did. I apologize.

Originally I wasn't going to put any Sacredshipping (Eusine/Morty) in Iridescent Wings, but again, it kinda just happened. I don't think it was bad that I did though.

I hate Eusine for some reason. I don't know why, he just seems so pompous and possessive. He irritates me. (Falkner-well, Falkner the way I write him-is similar to myself/my former self, so his reactions are often how the old me would react.

Whitney was right back in Chapter 7! :D

...I apologize for using an emoticon.

...I apologize for always apologizing.

So yeah. Please R&R to all chapters/anything you feel like! I love reading comments, advice, and even constructive criticism. I'm still learning as a writer.


	11. It's Complicated

**Episode Eleven: It's Complicated**

The quiet morning sun shone through the window, striking Falkner's face and eventually waking him.

"Mmmm…" He moaned, waking and stretching. The boy went to roll over, only to bump into something. Falkner turned to see Morty nuzzled up against him, in his own futon but placed up against the other boy's.

And suddenly everything that had happened the previous night came flooding back into Falkner's mind.

They had kissed. Both boys feeling emotionally vulnerable and stressed, they had admitted their feelings to one another and Morty had ended up locking lips with Falkner. And Falkner had let him. He had actually dove back in for a second kiss, and a third, and a fourth, and Arceus knows how many.* They had stayed out by the lake for a long time afterward, holding each other. The trainers had been about a mile away from the mansion, Morty had told Falkner, and there was no chance that they were going to be disturbed. Somewhere along the night, Falkner had fallen asleep in Morty's arms, and now here he awoke in his bed, Morty beside him.

What the hell had happened in the void in Falkner's memory. Morty must have carried him back to the house and put him to bed. But…was that all Morty had done? Falkner flung off his covers to make sure his pants were still on. They were. He breathed a sigh of relief. So they probably hadn't had sex. Besides it being awkward enough acting lovingly toward Morty, what Falkner was even more afraid of was something happening that Falkner wasn't aware of. The teen didn't like not having control over his situations, especially not over his own body. Cautiously, Falkner examined his entire body to make sure that nothing seemed unusual. Some people called him an excessive worrywart with the way he often acted, but Falkner was just afraid of something being wrong with him. That's why he spent long periods of time on his appearance, actions, and image. It wasn't so much as trying to fit in or portray a certain image as much as appearing stupid, unkempt, or unable to keep control of himself. It was a routine Falkner's parents, especially his late father, had installed into him as a child.

Good, nothing seemed wrong or different about his body. Falkner exhaled a sigh of relief, relaxing slightly and began thinking in a more realistic and sane mindset about the events of the previous night. It…well, it definitely wasn't something that could be undone. There were only two options available in Falkner's mind. Continue this way with Morty or break up with him. But could he really call it that? They had just kissed, nothing more. That didn't necessarily mean anything. Hell, Falkner wasn't even 100% sure he wanted things to proceed like they had last night. But they had. And whether the title of dating was there or not, Falkner couldn't deny his feelings anymore. Whether he wanted to or not, he liked Morty. How much he liked him, Falkner wasn't sure yet. And as for deciding if this constituted a relationship, Falkner wasn't exactly an expert on the subject. He had never dated or loved anyone before. Was he just overanalyzing things? He knew some people had no qualms about just kissing random people or having one night flings and stuff like that. Was Morty that type of person?

Gazing over at the sleeping object of his affections, Falkner watched, Morty's figure rise and fall to the rhythm of his breath. The sun illuminated the room now, and Morty's blonde hair shone brightly in the light. Falkner realized his headband and scarf were off, and saw them lying on the floor nearby. Seeing the snoozing body of the Ecruteak gym leader, undeniable emotions of love and longing rose in Falkner's chest.

No, Morty wasn't that type of person that just used people and left. Last night Falkner had obtained a rare glimpse into the heart of the seer, and it was easy to tell that Morty was a lot more emotional and caring than he always let on. His heart was pure inside, despite his original actions of toying with Falkner that had angered the Violet gym leader so. Morty also had his own pain, his own happiness and sadness. He was a human being, with the same feelings and flaws that everyone had. Finally realizing this as he sat, Falkner began to feel slightly at peace with his feelings. For the moment, anyway.

Feeling very unlike his usual self, Falkner suddenly had an urge to touch Morty. Reaching out tentatively, his hand eventually met soft blonde tresses, and Falkner lovingly stroked Morty's head for a moment. Pulling back afterward, Falkner was surprised at his actions. He had never done things like this to anyone. But he had never felt like this before either. Maybe…maybe Morty was different. Maybe Falkner could enjoy spending time with him, really constantly enjoy every moment. Maybe he could love Morty.

Moaning, Morty rolled over, his head falling onto Falkner's lap. Falkner jumped at the sudden movement, but smiled and decided it'd be okay.

_Maybe we'll be okay_, he thought, watching Morty sleep.

Suddenly the door burst open as Whitney appeared from the hallway.

"Falkner, Morty, you guys are late for breakfast and I was wondering if…" Whitney paused as her eyes fixed on the quaint duo in the room, obviously showing emotions of affection. A sly grin grew larger and larger on her face.

"Whitney, it's not what you think! We were just…on are way, and…" Falkner tried to stammer out a defense, flinching sharply upon her entrance. The movement made Morty's head bob into the air, and mixed with the noise, the scene pulled him out of his dreams. He moaned tiredly as he came back to reality.

"Ohoho…" Whitney chuckled knowingly. Smiling in victory, she left the room and closed the door. "Well I'll just let you two be…"

"No, Whitney! Wait! It's not…we were just…" Falkner tried to yell some sort of explanation, but it was too late. Whitney had seen everything.

"Wha's goin on?" Morty mumbled, rubbing sleep from his eyes. His obliviousness only seemed to add to Falkner's exasperation, and the bird user stood up in frustration, his sudden movement knocking Morty off his lap and onto the floor. Morty winced in surprise, slight pain, and confusion. Falkner grumpily grabbed a towel and prepared to go to the onsen, unable to go face Whitney at the breakfast table. He tossed a towel at Morty.

"Bath. Didn't have time to take one last night." Falkner said flatly, hardly addressing Morty. "If you want one."

Falkner shuffled out the door and went down the hall, stomping slightly.

No, with Morty, things were always crazy. Falkner highly doubted they'd be okay.

* * *

><p>The group of four sat awkwardly at the breakfast table. Eusine, having stayed the night like he had planned, was chewing on a piece of toast with jam pompously, drinking black coffee pompously, and just being all-around pompous.** Falkner was glaring at everyone, unsure of who to be more angry at. Morty sat, half trying to placate Falkner, half trying to cover the truth from Eusine. Whitney just watched the Falkner and Morty soap opera with chuckling interest.<p>

"For the last time, how was I supposed to know you wanted to be alone?" Morty had walked in on Falkner in the onsen, and tried to get in and hugged Falkner lovingly from behind. Naked. Falkner hadn't taken to that well, and had punched Morty in the face, colliding squarely with the left cheek. There was a small bruise beginning to form on his face, but not a large one. If Falkner was stronger, it would've left more of a mark.***

"It was your damn fault." Falkner said, chewing rice angrily. "What the hell made you think it'd be okay to practically _grope_ me?"

"I didn't _grope_ you." Morty said, part of his mind thinking about how he'd rather not say that word around Eusine. "And you're the one that threw a towel at me and said I could come with you if I wanted."

"I was being nice. I didn't expect you to actually come in, much less touch me. Ass."

"Well maybe you should be clearer from now on."

"What makes you think there's a need for 'from now on'? There's only two days left of your training for us, and then I can finally go home."

It was true. In two days, Morty and Falkner would part ways and go back to their own gyms and do their own jobs. The thought of it saddened both of the boys, but at the moment Falkner was oblivious to the sadness, at least on the outside.

"About these next two days," Whitney interrupted, feeling that if she continued watching, the conversation would just end up going in one infinite loop of bickering. "What are you gonna have us do?"

"Oh," Morty said, pulled away from Falkner and reminded that there were two other people in the room besides the participants in the argument. "Well, there are other stuff you guys need to know about running a gym. Stuff like legalities, regulations, stuff like that. I need to talk to you both about that."

"Oh great." Falkner muttered. "Sounds like a fun time, all that paperwork shit."

Eusine chuckled suddenly at the trio, making all three other trainers turn to him.

"And _you_!" Falkner yelled, pointing angrily at Eusine. "When the hell are you gonna leave?"

* * *

><p>"Oh joy. This looks like so much fun."<p>

Morty had led Falkner and Whitney into a room full of books and papers for today's lesson. It was like the classroom effect from the previous lesson, but somehow Falkner knew that this wasn't just for show. These papers were all full of notes about topics like how much income is needed monthly to successfully run a gym, the training and levels of skill necessary for the various gym trainers a leader should have, and how often Pokémon League inspectors came by to make sure you didn't have dead bodies hidden in the rafters and the like.

"Oh shush, you!" Whitney scolded, lightly smacking Falkner's arm. "Eusine's gone, so you have no reason to complain now. So hush."

"I still have plenty of reasons to complain, and I don't need to explain any of them to you. So you shush."

"_Both_ of you shush, the lesson is about to start." Morty walked in between the duo, 'accidentally' knocking a book in his hand against Falkner's head. Falkner murmured curses and rubbed his head in pain. Morty walked to the front of the room, and began explaining the lecture. Hours went by, and Whitney and Falkner learned all about the different items needed to have in your gym at all times, where to find and train gym referees, the various hours gyms could run (the gym in Saffron apparently ran 24/7. Falkner couldn't imagine never leaving the gym. It'd be murder.), and the normal amount of badges given out to trainers monthly. By the end of the lesson, both Whitney and Falkner's brains ached, and Morty dismissed them.

"Falkner, can I talk with you for a second?" Morty asked after Whitney had left the room.

"What, you need to give me detention, and do some pervy punishments?"

"Don't give me ideas. I think we both know we'd probably like that."

Morty got up from his desk and walked toward Falkner, who was standing by the door. Closing the door, Morty leaned over Falkner, his hand on the closed door above Falkner's head. The bird trainer was slightly intimidated by this, and it showed. But that wasn't Morty's intention.

"What's going on between us now? You've been acting really pissy today."

"Oh, I think you know exactly what happened, don't you _sensei_." Falkner wanted to jeer, but the lesson had taken all the energy out of him, leaving him unable to complain much and somehow because of that much more amiable to conversation than this morning.

"What, you mean the kiss?" Morty leaned down so his face was level with Falkner's. Falkner half wanted to lean forward and kiss him again, but suppressed the urge.

"I…yeah, I guess." Falkner said, not able to think of a defense. "And then when Whitney found us and stuff…I guess I just…"

"Got really bitchy?"

"Yeah…"

"I noticed." Morty sighed, removing his hand from the wall and taking a step back.

"It's just…I don't know what to do."

"Don't know what to do? With what?"

"With this. With us. With you and me."

"What makes you think you need to do anything?" Morty crossed his arms and looked Falkner in the eye. "What's wrong with just continuing with acting normal and open with each other?"

"It's just…I've never…felt this way about anyone. I've never had anyone with me. I…I feel like I'm supposed to go fast and proclaim our love to the world. But I'm not sure I wanna do that."

"You don't? Are you ashamed of liking me?"

"N-No!" Falkner exclaimed. "Not at all! I just…it's…complicated. I'm not used to this. And then there's Whitney and Eusine, and the fact I'm leaving in two days, and the whole running a gym, and I just…I just don't know what to do." Falkner looked like he was about to cry, and Morty put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Look. Falkner. I like you. I like you a lot. I think that should be obvious. But I don't plan on pushing you to do anything faster than you want to. We can take this at your pace. Okay?"

"Okay." Falkner said through tears. He leaned into Morty and the ghost user held him softly, but not in a constricting manner. It seemed to calm Falkner.

"I just need one thing, Falkner."

"What?"

"Can we be okay with each other from now on? Can we get along? I don't care if you don't want to show others this relationship yet. But can we enjoy our time together? I don't see a point in being with someone if all you do is argue."

"Y-Yeah…I can do that…"

"Good." Morty knelt down to be at Falkner's level.

"I love you" Morty told him, looking him straight in the eye with a look of firmness, but not harshness. It was a look that showed that he completely understood Falkner's emotions, and accepted them all.

"I…love you too."

Morty leaned in, grabbing Falkner's chin and pulling him into a soft kiss. Falkner kissed back, tears warming his cheeks, tears from all kinds of emotions. From fear, the fear of the unknown of relationships, of how you have to constantly worry about two people now instead of one. From embarrassment, embarrassment that he had acted like such an ass. And most of all, from love. Love for Morty, and joy that he had finally found someone, and that someone accepted his flaws, and loved him all the more for it. Morty sucked Falkner's bottom lip, and stuck his tongue into the boy's mouth. Falkner fought back with his tongue this time, a heat of passion filling both boys' mouths. When Morty didn't let go, Falkner was scared that he wouldn't have enough air, but soon realized that he could breathe through his nose. So they stood there for a long time, Morty pressing Falkner up against the door, and Falkner pressing into Morty. Every now and then, one of them would break and say something along the lines of "I love you", but both boys were so enthralled in passion that they spoke mostly through their actions, through warm, loving, enthusiastic kisses. Falkner was new to the task, but learned quickly, and eventually had his arms around Morty's neck while Morty continued to press into Falkner, which made Falkner push harder against the door. It was a tight fit, but Falkner didn't care. The boys moved with such energy that it felt like the door might break, or at least forcibly open.

And…the door did slip open, making both boys tumble in surprise to the floor outside the room. The door was old, and the doorknob wasn't as sturdy as it used to be and had lost its grip and opened. The fall left Falkner laying on the floor, with Morty on all fours, leaning over the boy, passion still bright in both of their eyes as they stared lovingly at the visage of one another, momentarily unaware of the surrounding world. The two of them was all that mattered.

"Hi guys!"

Falkner and Morty looked up in surprise to see Whitney standing over them, smiling happily. Falkner's blood went cold as he realized that she might've been on the other side of the door the entire time, and could've heard everything that had gone on inside the room between them. Morty looked up at her lazily, as if to say 'why are you interrupting the best moment of my life?'. The older boy turned to look back down at Falkner and saw that his face was bright red.

_"DAMN IT WHITNEY!"_

* * *

><p>Later, the two boys were sitting alone in their room. Whitney had been dismissed, Morty having talked to her. Not that he told her anything that she didn't already know. Falkner was beginning to realize that eventually people were going to find out about him and Morty.<p>

"So, we didn't get to finish our conversation." Morty said.

"Which one?" Falkner laughed. "The serious one or the one we had that didn't have so much talking?"

"The serious one." Morty said, smiling at what Falkner meant by the _other_ conversation. What are we? Boyfriends? Friends? Fuck-buddies?" Morty's eyes glinted at the last option.

"I…I don't know. It's kind of complicated. Do we really need a label?"

"I guess not…I just get antsy when I don't know what to call something as serious as our relationship…"

"Well…I guess we can be boyfriends…but we'd have to…do, y'know, lovers stuff."

"Please tell me by that you mean passionate nights of loud, furious sex."

"Not yet" Falkner said dismissively, the idea secretly playing itself in the back of his mind.

"Damn it. And here I thought I was gonna get laid."

"Sorry."

"Hmm…"

"So…" Falkner started. "Are we gonna finish that _other_ conversation?"

*Was trying to Pokémon-ize "God knows what", so I put Arceus since it's kinda the god Pokémon.

**Eusine = Pompous. I was half channeling Falkner's irritation, so I kinda was harsh on him. Not that I regret it.

***Falkner's a little pansy.

_End of Chapter Eleven: It's Complicated_

* * *

><p>AN: Got this one out fast! Sometimes I can't tell if I'm creating 3 dimensional characters or just writing OOC...

I couldn't keep their relationship smooth for long, could I? I just can't help it. Bluebird (Falkner) is just so much more fun all flustered and angry.

I still hate Eusine. I'm glad he was in and out. He'll probably be back in small doses though.

So yeah. Unless the plot decides to go in another random direction again, this arc will finally end in the next chapter...or two. Still don't trust it to stay on track. It won't be the end of Iridescent Wings, just the start of a new-ish plot with Morty and Falkner's relationship. THIS STORY WILL NEVER END. It'll be like the Pokemon anime, going on forever.

In my Microsoft Word document, this story has now hit 50 pages, not counting the A/N. I create those as I'm uploading chapters. Woohoo!


	12. Fireworks in Their Eyes 'M'

**Episode Twelve: Fireworks in Their Eyes**

"So. Today's the last day."

"Yep."

"You gonna kiss your honey goodbye?"

"WHAT?"

Falkner and Whitney were sitting in a park of Ecruteak, admiring the autumn sun. Morty had left the duo alone, telling them to wait there for today's lessons. The bench they rested on was warm in the early autumn sunlight, it being warmer than usual for this time of year. There was a slight breeze rustling through the city, playfully tickling the skin of whoever was outside. Today, this was a good amount of people. The kind weather had drawn many people out of their homes, enjoying the pleasant weather, with the park occupied by the novice gym leaders filled with citizens ranging all over the spectrum of age, gender, religion, profession, and all kinds of areas. Despite the historical theme of Ecruteak, the population of the town was actually a wide and varied populace. Children were laughing and playing in the park. Businessmen and businesswomen were relaxing during their break. Elderly couples enjoyed the air and scenery. There was an artist or two sketching furiously in corners of the park. Pokémon of all types were accompanying a decent amount of the people. It was a scene of simple happiness in the park, and it was soothing.

Well, it _had_ been. Until Whitney, now fully aware of the details of Morty and Falkner's relationship, began to question Falkner about anything and everything pertaining to the boys' love life.

"You gonna give him a big, sloppy kiss goodbye, Bluebird?" Whitney jeered at her obviously upset friend.

"We're not that nasty looking when we kiss! Don't…don't say sloppy."

"Bluebird, I saw you two getting it on. I think I know the details."

"Stop calling me that."

"Why? Morty calls you that all the time." It was true. Ever since Morty and Falkner had agreed that they were, in Falkner's words, "sorta kinda a couple-thing", Morty had been going around calling Falkner by the name he gave him, Bluebird. While Falkner didn't like the name, it was a little endearing to him when Morty called him that. The pet name was sort of a sign of affection, even though Falkner didn't love it. But having other people call him that, especially the Pink-Haired Wonder Whitney, was not something that Falkner wanted.

"It's different when he says it." Falkner said grumpily, turning away from the girl. He never liked talking to others about his emotions, and now with his first relationship, he found he didn't like discussing his love matters either. People always seemed to find reason to laugh at his life, and Falkner wasn't fond of being the butt of jokes.

"Sure. Because you loooooooove him" Whitney giggled.

"Shut up!" Falkner said. The boy almost retorted that he didn't love Morty, but that would be a lie. And Morty had already talked to him about accepting their relationship. It hurt the ghost user when Falkner tried to deny their relationship. And that was something that the bird boy didn't want to do. He was touchy about his own feelings, and he could understand why his lover was hurt. Love and relationships were so complicated. It wasn't just yourself you had to worry about, or even just you and your significant other. You had to worry about how the two of you functioned, about surrounding people and events, and so much more. Sometimes Falkner wondered if dating was really worth all the struggle. But one look into Morty's eyes assuaged these questions and fears. The boys loved each other. It had only been four days, but a definite spark had been lit between the two, and they were both attempting to fan it and keep it alive.

"Ohoho! Why, if it isn't Violet-kun and Goldenrod-chan! I assume the training has been going well?"

Both blue and pink eyes looked up to see Naoto standing in front of them. Falkner was surprised to see the old man. He had forgotten all about the elder that had helped throw him into the craziness of the past week. Part of Falkner wanted to thank him, and the another part wanted to smack him for forcing him into such insanity without knowing what he was getting into.

"Yes!" Whitney responded in her normal peppy attitude. "It's been going great. I really feel like I'm ready to run Goldenrod's gym successfully now!"

"Well that's _wonderful_. And how about you, Violet-kun?"

"Oh, uh, great." Falkner began wondering if Naoto knew about the new…developments between him and Morty. As far as he knew, Whitney was the only one who knew about the boys' relationship. He didn't think that Morty would go around telling everyone, but Falkner still suddenly became somewhat uneasy. Plus there was Eusine, who had been doing Arceus knows what in Ecruteak. For all Falkner knew, the creep could've been prancing around the town proclaiming all of Falkner's deepest secrets. Not that the fashion-blind man knew anything about him. But knowing that idiot, he might find a way.

"So if I recall correctly, today is your final day of training. What are you doing here?"

"Morty told us to wait here for today's lesson." Whitney answered. "I don't know why though."

"Oh, alright. I'm sure the young master knows exactly what he's doing. Well, I wish the utmost success for both of you in your budding careers as gym leaders."

With that, Naoto strolled away jovially, leaving the two teens alone on the bench.

"So," Whitney said. "what do you think Morty has in mind for today?"

"I'm not sure" Falkner answered. "I don't see why we have to be in the park for a lesson. Speaking of which, he's had us waiting a while."

At that moment, Falkner's Pidgeot swooped down from the sky and landed in a low tree branch hanging beside the bench. Falkner looked up in surprise. Because of his usual need-to-know attitude, he had ordered his Pidgeot to survey the sky, and return when Morty arrived in the park. The trainer looked around, but couldn't spot his secret lover anywhere. The cobalt teen's brow furrowed in confusion. His Pidgeot was back. So Morty had to be around somewhere.

Suddenly a small child came running toward the teenage leaders and attempted to hug both Falkner and Whitney at the same time.

"Wow! They're really gym leaders! I just hugged a gym leader!"

A large mob of children followed from where the first boy had appeared. Falkner flinched as he and Whitney were overrun by four foot tall soldiers of doom. The bench tipped over as it was swarmed by the hyperactive germ farms, Falkner falling on his back with a thud. Whitney had stood up to greet the kids and had inadvertently sidestepped the bench chaos. Whitney, who enjoyed children, smiled and hugged the kids as they greeted her. Falkner, who did not, was floundering to get back on his feet to keep from drowning in a sea of sugar covered insanity.

"Now, now, give the guy a chance to get up."

Falkner watched as some of the kids moved a step back after what he recognized as Morty's voice. The befuddled leader struggled to his feet to meet a chuckling Morty.

"You look like a Magikarp" Morty laughed.

"What the hell is this?" Falkner hissed, whispering to Morty as the children moved to swarm Whitney at Morty's command.

"Gym leaders are the focal point of their towns. Naturally, they have to be able to satisfy and help the public. These children represent a large section of the people you might be seeing appear over the year. A gym leader has to learn to be good with all people, especially kids. This goes extra for you, who's town has the Trainer's School."

"You don't mean-"

"Yes. Today's lesson is playing with these children."

Falkner groaned in disappointment. He _hated_ children. They were hyperactive, idiotic, manipulative, disgusting animals. The last thing that he wanted to do was spend the day placating fifty crazed, manic Primapes on a sugar high.

"C'mon" Morty said, grabbing his reluctant boyfriend's arm. "Okay, kids! Who wants to watch a real battle?"

* * *

><p>The sun was setting as the last child's parent picked their bundle of joy up and took them home. Falkner fell down to the ground in fatigue, his Pidgeot collapsing over him, its wings completely covering its trainer from sight. Falkner had spent the entire day with Morty and Whitney, entertaining all the little demons for hours. Whitney and Falkner had battled, and they tried to have a lesson but it quickly deteriorated into madness. A few kids already had Pokémon of their own, and a couple of the novices challenged the leaders to a battle. Falkner had been instructed to go easy on the children, as to not dash their hopes of becoming powerful, successful trainers. So his Pidgeot feigned a couple battles, and then all the children wanted to ride it. It was a frequent demand of bird users when around children. The big-hearted bird had obliged, but the hyperactive midgets had squirmed and fidgeted and couldn't stay still, and almost seemed to be trying to fall off and kill themselves. Four children actually had fallen. Two were caught by Pidgeot before they hit the ground. One was caught by Morty's Drifloon when the wind had blown them away from their ride. And one was unreachable by anyone's Pokémon, and Falkner had ran to catch the child, sacrificing his own body as a cushion for the ungrateful rider. Now Falkner laid in an exhausted heap, battered and worn down.<p>

"Hey, sleepyhead." Falkner felt a soft kick to the place where his head laid underneath his Pidgeot's wing. He moaned in displeasure at the hit.

"Sleep later. We have stuff to do now." Morty jabbed Falkner's head again.

"Like what?" Falkner groaned, lifting his head up from his living down comforter. He died a little bit inside thinking of doing more work.

"Don't worry, it's nothing difficult" Morty assured him. Falkner waved him away dismissively.

Suddenly Falkner felt warm lips touch his forehead as Morty kneeled down and kissed his grumpy Bluebird. Falkner leaned forward to look up and kiss his boyfriend back. But instead strong arms grabbed his shoulders and yanked him to his feet. Falkner felt gravely disappointed.

"There" Morty said with a smile, giving Falkner a quick peck on the cheek. Falkner just shot him a look of disgust.

"Cheer up," the blonde said, pulling Falkner by the arm into an unknown direction. "I promise this will be fun."

* * *

><p>The center of town had been turned into a crowded fairground, full of people wearing traditional kimonos of varying levels of quality. Falkner and Morty were among the throng of people, dressed in significantly more fancy yukatas than the ones they wore at the mansion. Falkner's was blue with wisps of white and light blue, creating a cloudlike design. Or currents of water, depending on how you looked at it. Morty was wearing a yukata died a deep royal purple, with various accents and designs, the centerpiece being the red sunset depicted on the back. The two boys strolled through the crowd with food in one hand, and the other being covertly entangled in the hand of their lover's.<p>

"You look good in that outfit" Falkner said, observing Morty's yukata. Despite the decorative clothes, Morty's hair was without the normal headband and tousled lazily, giving him a relaxed look. His wooden sandals clacked with each step on the stone ground.

"You do too." Morty said, smiling at his Bluebird.

"Please, this isn't too different from my normal ensemble."

"I know. You always look good." Falkner felt a tinge of warmth as a tiny blush appeared on his face from the comment.

"What's this festival thing about anyway?" Falkner asked over the noise of the crowd. Different stands were set up along the road, and you had to weave in and out of the crowd to traverse the town. He wasn't aware of today being any holiday.

"For the three legendary beasts." Morty responded, raising his voice to match the hollering from a nearby stand as somebody won something. "They normally come around this time, to mark the changing of the seasons. The Night of the Red Moon is the sign to start preparing. This year they happened to come a few days earlier than normal."

"Oh." Falkner said, wincing at the memory of the battle with Entei. The thought that they were revering a beast that tried to kill him a few days earlier struck him as somewhat odd. But this was Ecruteak, where every legendary Pokémon was revered. And he was attempting to get over the whole near death experience thing anyway. So far it hadn't been going well. As he looked around, he now saw giant floats of Suicune, Entei, and Raikou. He wondered why he hadn't noticed something so huge and colorful earlier.

Probably because he was too busy staring at Morty the entire time. Morty had told Whitney about the festival earlier, and she had left. Then he took Falkner home, stripped him and put him into his current clothes, then said they were going on a date in town. The whole thing kinda put Falkner into a daze.

"Oh look! There's funnel cakes. I love funnel cakes!*" Morty yelled, pointing at a nearby stand.

"What's a funnel cake?"

"You've never had a funnel cake? Holy Zapdos**, you have to try one."

The next thing Falkner knew, his arm was being nearly yanked off as Morty ran and dragged Falkner toward the stand.

* * *

><p>The festival had gone on for hours, and Falkner had to admit, he had had fun. But with Morty, even watching a Snorlax sleep could seem fun. They had played games, watched performances, and just done silly stuff in a euphoria inducing crowd. The boys were now lying on a grassy bank overlooking a valley, far away from the rest of the crowd that had also went to similar grassy patches. Morty had insisted that this spot would be the best place to see what was about to happen.<p>

Suddenly, a huge blaze lit up the sky as a firework was set off. Then another. And then a bunch. Soon an entire coordinated show was appearing in the sky. Falkner jumped at the first unexpected bang, but then relaxed and enjoyed their beauty, snuggling up against Morty, who had his arms around him. He glanced up at Morty with a look of undying love, and Morty looked back with the same intensity. The light of the fireworks danced in their eyes, and the Falkner could've just laid there forever gazing into Morty's eyes.

"I love you so much." Morty said, kissing Falkner on the lips.

"I love you too," Falkner said, slightly muffled as his mouth was covered by warm lips. The two boys laid there for what seemed like eternity, just kissing and holding each other. Eventually the fireworks died down, and the two boys were alone in the dark. They held each other silently, just comforted by the warmth of their partner.

"So tomorrow you're leaving, huh?" Morty said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah…" Falkner said quietly. "I'm really gonna miss you."

"We're not really that far away from each other, y'know? Our towns almost neighbor each other."

"True, but I'm not gonna wake up in the morning with you beside me."

"You never know" Morty said. "I might sneak into your bed at night and molest you."

"You'd better not." Falkner laughed, playfully knocking his hand against Morty's head. The blonde pretended to be hurt, and Falkner kissed the place he hit, promising that it would make it better. Morty kissed him back gratefully, and then rolled over on top of Falkner.

"You're so beautiful" Morty said as he eyed up his lover. Falkner's yukata had opened slightly, enough to see the boy's slim chest and figure, with the sleeves sliding off one shoulder slightly seductively.

"So are you."

Morty dove in for a kiss, which was greeted happily by Falkner. Their tongues became entwined as the two boys became one as they connected at the mouth. Falkner put his arms around Morty's neck, raising his head slightly off the ground to meet the older boys' better. Eventually Morty grew tired of propping himself up with his arms, wanting to touch Falkner more. He adjusted himself to a more sitting position, Falkner immediately met Morty by sitting up and situating himself on Morty's laps, his legs spread around the boy. They continued kissing, and Morty's hands began roaming, first touching Falkner's mouth, then caressing the boy's torso.

"M-Morty…"

"Oh God, you're so hot, Bluebird.***"

Morty's mouth soon started moving away from Falkner's face and began kissing and nipping at Falkner's neck, earning moans and gasps from the boy. Morty slipped Falkner's yukata over his shoulders, leaving Falkner naked above the waist. The ghost trainer then began playing with Falkner's nipples, tweaking one and sucking the other. Falkner began making even louder noises, clearly loving the sensation. His eyes began to appear clouded as he was touched for the first time. Morty's hands continued to graze down Falkner's torso, eventually meeting at his waist. Morty plunged a hand down into Falkner's waistband and Falkner cried out.

"W-Wait!" Falkner said, pushing away slightly, breaking out of his daze a bit. Morty looked up the boy confusedly, not removing his hand from the erect shaft he had a hand on.

"What's wrong?"

"Is…is this…okay?"

"Of course it is."

"Then…then I don't want to be the only one."

Morty watched as Falkner, in a feeble attempt to take the lead, lean in for a kiss and try to dominate Morty. Morty played along, interested. As he expected, Falkner soon tried to remove Morty's upper body from the yukata. Morty shrugged out of the material to help, and relished in the feeling of skin on skin.

"I want you to feel good too." Falkner said, in a quick break between kisses. As Falkner tried to replicate Morty's caresses, something in the back of his mind asked if he had lost his mind. But he pushed the thought to the side, too into the moment to care. Morty allowed Falkner to continue to try to work him, but soon decided to take the lead, throwing the boy onto the ground. He lowered his body to his, and began rubbing his clothed erection against Falkner's. The newfound sensation almost made Falkner lose it, but he clung to Morty and pushed back. They began moving furiously, and soon Morty stuck his hand into Falkner's underwear and began pumping. Falkner, not wanting to neglect Morty, somehow managed to do the same to the blonde, feeling rough hair against his hand as he searched and found Morty's member.

"Oh God, Falkner don't stop."

The two boys began pumping each other, and it wasn't long until Falkner climaxed, spilling seed all over Morty's hand and the surrounding undergarments. Feeling Falkner cum, Morty was so aroused that combined with Falkner's strokes, he came as well, hard. The boys breathed heavily in the afterglow, with Falkner removing his hand first, followed reluctantly by Morty. Falkner examined the sticky substance covering his hand, almost feeling proud that he had successfully pleased Morty. He was about to wipe his hand off in the grass, but Morty's clean hand grabbed his, and Morty inserted one of the fingers into his mouth. Sucking seductively, Falkner was shocked at first, but then extremely turned on. Morty cleaned off his entire hand, and then stuck his into Falkner's mouth after relinquishing the one in his. Falkner tasted the liquid confusedly, and began rolling his tongue over the appendages. Morty began thrusting his fingers in and out of his Bluebird's mouth, making Falkner's head bob slightly with the rhythm.

Morty removed his hand, and then leaned in for a kiss. The boys tangled tongues again, tasting both each other's mouth and the collective taste of their cum. Morty held Falkner's face in place, the saliva and remnants of semen staining Falkner's face. After the kiss, Morty licked the boy's face clean.

"Morty…that was…"

"Good, right?" Morty smirked.

"Amazing."

"It's love, Bluebird."

"I know," Falkner responded. "Never stop loving me.

*I know the event is mostly Japan-themed, but I adore funnel cake and it was the first thing that came to my mind when Morty wanted food. It's a fictional world. I can put in what I want, right?

**Again, me trying to Pokémon-ize sayings from our world. I was gonna have him say oh my Zapdos, but that seemed weird.

***I know I try to Pokémon-ize, but it just didn't sound as good/hot with a Pokémon's name replacing God.

_End of Episode Twelve: Fireworks in Their Eyes_

* * *

><p>AN: I wasn't writing this chapter expecting the sexual content...they just kinda decided they wanted to anyway. XD

I've never written smut before. Sorry they didn't go all the way. I didn't want them to yet. (Don't kill me)

I love kids. But Falkner doesn't. And even though it's third person, I tend to narrate in his mindset.

I...really don't have much else to say this chapter.

...R&R!


	13. Normalcy Doesn't Seem So Normal

**Episode Thirteen: Normalcy Doesn't Seem So Normal**

"Falkner, breakfast is ready!"

Sunlight beamed into the fifteen year old gym leader's room in Violet City as he was woken up by the sound of his mother's voice. Moaning, the boy sat up and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Blinking, he looked confusedly at the pale blue walls in front of him accented with white molding and adorned with various posters and items. For a minute he forgot where he was. Then Falkner remembered.

_That's right. I'm back in Violet City._

Yesterday afternoon, Falkner had finally returned back to his hometown after what seemed like years. But in reality it had only been five days.* The impromptu training session had impacted his life so much that it seemed hard to believe that so much change could happen is such a short period of time.

"Falkner, are you up?"

"Coming!" Falkner yelled from his room, hoping the message would reach his mother downstairs. Swiveling his hips so his legs swung over the bed, Falkner slowly stood up from his comfy bed, much more plush and comfortable than the traditional futons at Morty's. He examined his pajamas, a navy blue tank top and gray boxers. They, too, were different than what he had worn at Morty's; different than the deep green yukata that he had adorned him in the evenings and nighttime. Everything was so different, everything about his normal life. Here he was, back in his own room, his own house, and his own bed. It all felt so comfortable. But so different. He had become accommodated to the ways of life at Morty's. Falkner missed him. Today he woke up in his own room, all alone. No witty blonde was there to kiss him awake like he had done yesterday when Falkner woke up to leave.

The previous day had been a sad goodbye for Falkner. When he woke up to Morty's kisses, the boys had sat together in the room for a while, just savoring the time they had left. Despite the rather steamy action of the previous night, Morty hadn't tried to do anything dirty, and for that Falkner had been grateful. He wasn't in the mood for sexual activity. Even the idea of it was still hard for Falkner to grasp. After waking up slowly and peacefully, the two boys ate a final breakfast together with Whitney as well, and later they reviewed the information that the two new gym leaders had been taught over the past few days. When they left, Naoto was there as well, seeming slightly tenser than normal to Falkner, but the boy didn't know why. "May your gyms both prosper" was all that he had said. Whitney left first, putting her Miltank in its Pokéball and getting on her bike to ride home. Then the two boys were all alone. They stood quietly for a moment, and then shared one last kiss before Falkner was interrupted by his Pidgeot, who was eager to return home. The bird user gave Morty a final peck on the lips, said goodbye, and mounted his bird and took off into the sky, Morty watching the figure of the bird and trainer flying until it went out of sight. When Falkner got home, he explained the past five days to his mother (leaving out the parts with Morty and him dating and the experience with Entei), examined his gym as he had done before he had left for Ecruteak, and practiced what he had learned with his Pidgeot until the sun went down. And now here he was today, his first day as an official Johto League gym leader.

Slipping on slippers that were shaped like plush Pidgeys, Falkner opened the door to the hall and trotted downstairs to the kitchen.

"There you are. I was wondering if you were alright. You took so long." The woman that addressed Falkner was a skinny but powerful woman, her navy blue hair tied back into a ponytail. Her face shared distinct similarities to Falkner's, their familial ties being clear. His mother wore a casual t-shirt and jeans, and handed her son a plate full of scrambled eggs, with toast on the side. Falkner took the plate and sat down at the nearby table.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he took a bite of egg. It was still somewhat soggy. His mother's cooking had become worse in the past year since his father died, the stress of raising two children alone obviously getting to her. So Falkner had learned to cook to help her out. And while his mother was grateful, she still wanted to make meals herself, as she had this morning. Falkner had grown used to eating undercooked or overcooked meals, or ignoring incorrectly seasoned food, and had somehow got his testy sister to at least pretend that the food was edible when their mother made something downright awful. Luckily that didn't happen as much anymore. It was one of the other reasons Falkner had taken over the Violet City Pokémon gym. Besides following in his father's footsteps to please his family and community, this brought in extra money. They weren't hurting too much for money, but he hoped to be able to help relieve some of the strain on his mother by adding additional income.

"I won't be getting home until about seven tonight," his mother said, talking while she cleaned the breakfast dishes, Falkner's sister apparently having already eaten. "Oh, but you'll be busy now too, now that you have the gym and all. What are the hours you're going to run?"

"I don't know" Falkner hadn't thought about that since he got home. What hours should he be open? He couldn't stay open constantly. But what would be the prime hours for the most traffic?

"Your father used to practically live in the gym" his mother commented. It was true. Falkner hardly ever saw his father outside of the gym. He came home for meals, but Falkner had no idea when he slept. There was a bed, kitchen, bathroom, and general living quarters in the gym, but in all the times Falkner visited his father at the gym, he had never seen the man sleep. He was a very dedicated leader.

"I think his official hours were 7 AM until midnight," his mother pondered, examining her memory. "But he would always accept a challenge, no matter what time it was. One time a trainer came to our house at three in the morning, and Walker** got dressed and went to the gym to battle. I swear that man lived and died with Pokémon."

The last sentence created a sad silence over the room. Falkner's father had definitely lived and died with Pokémon. His death had been during an expedition in the Ruins of Alph. A section of the ruins had seemed to have moved, so Falkner's father went to check on it with some scientists. The room they were examining caved in during a sudden minor earthquake, crushing three men, including Falkner's father. His Pidgeot, the same one that Falkner now used, had been outside at the time and couldn't save its trainer. Today there is a tombstone in the rubble for all three men, though their bodies were excavated and buried elsewhere in accordance to their respective families' wishes. The Ruins of Alph were known to harbor mysterious Pokémon known as the Unown, a species that Walker had taken great interest in, the ruins neighboring his hometown. The man certainly did live and die with Pokémon.

The sudden silence was interrupted as Falkner's Pokégear began ringing and vibrating as it sat on the table. Falkner hadn't noticed it there and jumped slightly. He must've left it there when he came in last night.

"Hello?" the teen said as he put the device to his ear.

"G'morning, Bluebird" said a familiar deep voice. Falkner's heart skipped a few beats as he heard Morty's voice over the phone. The phone call made his lover's voice seem slightly off from in person, but it was unrecognizably Morty.

"Morty? What are you doing, calling so early?"

The two boys began to talk, until Falkner felt his mom staring at him curiously.

"Ecruteak's leader," Falkner explained to her, his voice over the receiver. He tried to hide his excitement from his mother, as normal people probably didn't flip out over just hearing a "friend's" voice.

_But then again, this wasn't just a friend calling._ Not that he wanted his mother to know that.

"I'm…I'm gonna take this call in my room," Falkner said awkwardly to his mother, excusing himself and dashing up the stairs in his slippers.

* * *

><p>"Why are you calling so early in the morning?" Falkner repeated once he was in the safe haven of his room with the door closed and locked. "Is something wrong?"<p>

"No, nothing's wrong," Morty chuckled. "I just wanted to hear your voice, since I wasn't able to wake up with you this morning."

Falkner blushed heavily at the comment, and his heart began to race. Despite being immensely happy to hear that, it also deeply embarrassed him for some reason. Sitting on his bed, he crossed his legs and covered his face embarrassedly, even though nobody was around to see his bashful state.

"Also, I just wanted to check up on you, with today being a busy day for you and everything."

"Busy day?" Falkner asked, snapping out of his daze. "Why is it gonna be busy?"

"Are you stupid?" Morty stated bluntly yet not uncaringly. "Today's the day that Violet's gym reopens after over a year of hiatus. The media's gonna be all over this. Whitney already called me and told me she was bombarded with reporters and trainers."

"But why would they…"

"Falkner!" the teen's mother's voice resounded up the stairs. "You might wanna get ready soon! There are some people at the door!"

"What?" Turning to his window and looking down at his yard, Falkner saw at least a dozen people waiting at the door, some with cameras and microphones, others holding Pokéballs and notepads. Sighing tiredly at what this all meant for his day, Falkner flopped back onto his bed.

"Morty?" He said after a long annoyed groan.

"Yeah, Bluebird?"

"Shoot me now."

* * *

><p>"Falkner-san, what are your thoughts upon reopening Violet City's Flying-Type gym?"<p>

"Falkner-kun, are you attempting to follow in your father's footsteps with this career choice?"

"Falkner, will there be any changes to the functions of the gym since your father Walker ran it?"

"Falkner-san, as Violet's new gym leader, do you have any words for the aspiring trainers watching this broadcast, hoping to challenge you one day?"

Falkner stared with a Stanler-in-the-headlights look*** at the crowd, having rushed down after tossing on clean clothes and fixing his hair into the clutches of the media frenzy that was constantly growing larger outside his front door. Shaking off his stunned look, he began to attempt to address the crowd.

"Uh, well, I guess I just figured it was time to reopen our gym, and that I was ready for the challenge," Falkner stammered out seeming more confident than he really was. _Damn it all_. He didn't like being seen improper or unkempt. "While I find it an honor to be equated to my father in terms of talent, I'd say that I have a long way to go until I reach his level. I'd…like to keep the gym running fairly similar to how he did it, but with my own style intermixing as well. But the tradition of Violet City is what's most important. The majority of the Pokémon I will use are his former Pokémon, and I am happy that they accept me using them. As for the trainers, I look forward to seeing you all and accepting your challenges. As a member of the Johto Pokémon League, I promise to uphold the dignity of the position and continue to grow as a person as well."

Falkner had never ad-libbed so much at one time, much less for something of this caliber. It exhausted him. But the day was far from over, as the swarm of reporters continued to bombard him with questions.

* * *

><p>The day that followed was one of the longest, most tiring days that Falkner had ever faced. Expected by the media frenzy to spend the day at his gym, Falkner spent most of his waking hours explaining the various mechanisms of the gym, giving tours, showcasing his Pokémon, and just wasting time in his opinion. All of the information that he spent the day regurgitating was available in books and pamphlets in the Violet City Pokémon Center, as well as Violet's tourist center and library. The entire day was nothing but formality, really. Expansive, irritating, draining formality. The sun was close to setting by the time the teen was finally left alone in his gym, now seeming quiet and huge after being so loud and cramped earlier with crowds, reporters, and more people than Falkner thought lived in the entire city of Violet and its surroundings. Why were there so many people? Why did so many people need to be there in person to attack him during his first official day of employment? Was there even anyone at their house to see the live news broadcast that was streaming throughout the city? Falkner's stamina was destroyed from being so stiff and proper all day. Normally he attempted to be polite, but he was so rigid and nervous in front of the crowds and cameras that the usual civility he emanated was so much more exhausting than normal. This job was going to be hard. Didn't normal teenagers start their careers in fast food or something menial like that? And yet here Falkner was, never having near this much responsibility before and baffled at what to do.<p>

Tired blue brows furrowed in anguish as Falkner leafed through the pile of gym trainer applications. He had less than a week to figure out who to hire, and had no idea how to go about selecting and eliminating candidates. Straining to stare at the thirteenth application so far, Falkner closed his eyes, sighed and tossed the papers into the air in frustration.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" the novice gym leader exhaled in vexation. _I give up. I have no idea what to do. Give this job to someone else._

Looking up through the partial glass ceiling of the multi-floored Violet City gym, he watched his bird Pokémon play on the rafters, swooping down and flying up, calling to each other, grooming themselves, eating, sleeping. Sometimes Falkner thought _they_ were the ones with the easy part of the gym leader's job. All they had to do was be on hand to fight challengers.

Eventually the teen calmed down enough to clean up the papers that he had strewn across the room. Walking this time to a couch to sit down on instead of his desk, Falkner began to examine the applicants again. But still he had no luck. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his Pokégear. Staring at the device, he debated calling his senior leader/lover. Eventually he scrolled down to Morty's name and pressed "Call".

Morty picked up on the third ring. "Hey. Morty here. Speak words."

"Hey, it's me."

"Bluebird? Hey! Just gimme a second." Falkner listened as Morty addressed someone, telling them he had to go, followed by some random noises that Falkner later found out were Morty gathering his bag and clothes.

"Sorry, here I am" Morty said, slightly out of breath.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Falkner asked.

"What? No. I was at the dojo."

"Dojo?"

"Yeah. Karate dojo. I'm a black belt."

"Really?" Falkner mused at the thought. "Aren't you a little skinny for a martial artist?"

"Ha! At least I'm not as scrawny as you!"

"…I thought you thought I was attractive" Falkner pouted.

"I do."

"You just called me scrawny."

"Scrawny. Not ugly. There's a big difference."

"Alright…"

"Bluebird, you're adorable. So fucking adorable that I wanna jump you every second I see you and fuck you senseless."

"Then why don't you?" Falkner laughed, a little surprise at the blatancy of Morty's comment.

"Because it's kinda hard to do that over the phone."

"True."

"So," Morty said, changing the subject. "What did you call me for? Did you just wanna have some super-hot phone sex? Because I'm okay with that."

"What? No." Falkner said confusedly, not understanding exactly what Morty meant by phone sex. Talking about sex? Masturbating over the phone? Using the phone as a dildo? "I'm just stuck with all this gym leader business."

"Ah. How was your first day?"

"Miserable. Everything I do just reminds me how little I know about the job."

"Now, now. I taught you everything you need to know. What are you having problems with?"

"Gym trainer selection. How the hell am I supposed to narrow them down? Without seeing them all, everyone seems the same."

"That's your problem?" Morty chuckled. "Man, it took me like ten minutes to choose mine years ago."

"Well EXCUSE ME for taking time to consider all the options!"

"Relax. I'm just playing with you" Morty assured the high-strung boy. "Have you gone through the whole list?"

"Pretty much."

"Well skim over it again. Are there any you can eliminate immediately?"

"Probably. There's this one guy who got kicked out of three different gyms for sexually harassing the challengers and other gym trainers. Including…yours?"

"Yeah, that's Seth for you. Don't choose him. He also can't battle worth shit. Now are there any you KNOW are good candidates?"

"Ummm, I'm not sure…"

"Well here's what I would do" Morty said. "Spread the papers out, close your eyes, and pick a few."

"Morty!" Falkner was caught off-guard by Morty's lazy response, and nearly dropped the phone.

"What?"

"That's so irresponsible!"

"Well, can you tell me a better way?"

"Uhh…well…"

"Look. Gym trainers can be taught. As long as you don't pick the awful ones, you can mold them how you need to. And if you do happen to choose a bad one, you can just fire them and replace the trainer. It saves time and sanity this way."

"But what about the other good candidates?"

"They'll find other jobs. There are plenty of jobs for Pokémon trainers. Besides, you have to know when applying for a job that there is a chance you might not get it."

"But I…it's just…" Falkner tried to protest Morty's insane ideas, but while the suggestion of randomly selecting trainers seemed irresponsible, Morty's explanation had a sort of logic that just defeated Falkner.

"Look," Morty said after a few moments of silence. "If you want, I'll pick them for you. How many applications do you have?"

"Let me see…" Falkner said as he rustled through the papers, his phone moving around in the process and creating random muffled noises audible through Morty's end of the connection. "Nineteen."

"Pick numbers three, five, and twelve."

"What?"

"You have them stacked in a pile, right? Pick the third one, the fifth one, and the twelfth one."

"Why?"

"Because The Great Almighty Morty-sama, the Divine Sex God of Johto, told you to. Do you need another reason?"

"Pffft!" Falkner exhaled suddenly in laughter. "Is that so?"

"Of course it is. Now listen to my all-powerful will before I hurt you."

Falkner glanced at the applications that Morty had picked out. One was a seasoned trainer who previously served in the flying-type gym in Fortree in Hoenn before he moved for familial reasons. Another was a teen around Falkner's age with no notable experience, but promising potential and nothing against his character. And the third was a graduate of Violet City's Trainer's School. They all did seem like decent people to work in his gym.

"Okay, I'll give your idea a shot, Morty." Falkner said, half sighing in defeat, half in relaxation from his lover's jovial attitude. "But if you're wrong, I'm coming to beat your ass."

"Please, the Almighty Morty-sama is never wrong."

"Well alright," Falkner laughed, his mood uplifted by their conversation.

"Is that all you're having trouble with?"

"For the moment, yes. But I'll probably screw up and need you again."

"Well when that happens, I'll be here. But for now I need to go because I have a challenger of my own and need to get ready."

"Alright" Falkner said, somewhat sad that their connection had to end for the night. "Morty…?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"…I love you."

"I love you too, Bluebird."

And with that the call was over. Pulling the Pokégear away from his ear, Falkner glanced at the device in silence. The brightly lit screen still had Morty's number and caller id on it, along with a picture of him that Falkner had managed to get before he left Ecruteak. Staring at the phone for a moment, eventually the blue-haired teen closed his eyes and kissed Morty's picture on the screen.

"I love you…" Falkner whispered to himself after opening his eyes. He looked again at Morty's picture until the picture grew dim and eventually disappeared as the screen went black.

* * *

><p>*I count the day he arrived at Ecruteak City for the gym leader's meeting as a day.<p>

**There is no official name for Falkner's dad, at least not that I'm aware of. In the Pokémon Adventures manga, there is a man named Walker who appears in one chapter, and as far as I know he is generally considered by the fanbase as Falkner's absent father. In both the English and Japanese versions, they're names are similar (Falkner/Walker, and Hayato/Hayate), they have distinct similarities in appearance, and both train bird Pokémon. For more information, go to .net/wiki/Walker.

***Poképun on the term "deer-in-the-headlights" look, for when you just stare in shock and can't move.

_End of Episode Thirteen: Normalcy Doesn't Seem So Normal_

* * *

><p>AN: I'm BAAAAACCCKKK! Sorry for all the wait guys. First college started. Then my aunt died. Then my computer broke. Then my internet went bad. And now it's finally (mostly) fixed, so here I am.

I'm sorry this chapter sucks. It feels so forced, but I needed this to end the current story arc. I already have Chapter 14 started, so it should be up in a few days.

Falkner is so innocent about sex.

I hate this chapter.


	14. The Elegant Master of Flying Pokemon

**Episode Fourteen: Falkner, the Elegant Master of Flying Pokémon**

A week had passed since Falkner became the official gym leader of Violet City, and for the most part he was beginning to get the hang of it. The gym trainers that he had chosen seemed like good choices, he had hired a referee, the gym passed the quality inspection that was required, and he had even had a few challengers. Most of them were too young and inexperienced, and Falkner had beaten every single one that he had faced so far. To be honest, the boy felt a little bad defeating such young challengers, some of them didn't even seem old enough to be out of elementary school. He didn't want to dash their hopes of becoming great Pokémon trainers. But most of the challengers, even when beaten, just promised to train harder and looked at Falkner as an image of dignity and power. It felt good being seen as a role model to younger children.

A sign was added outside the gym doors that read:

_Violet City Pokémon Gym_

_Leader: Falkner, the Elegant Master of Flying Pokémon_

Falkner couldn't help but snicker to himself in slight depression. _Elegant? If only they had seen him in Ecruteak last week with Whitney and Morty. Elegant would be the last title they would give him_. But still, Falkner was happy with the title, albeit it seeming a bit too grandiose for him.

The weirdest thing for Falkner was having people under him who worked for him. The cobalt teen was not used to having power over others. The oddest part was being called titles like "Sir", "Boss", or "Leader"; which Falkner had been called repeatedly during the past week. At first Falkner had no idea how to respond to such labels. Eventually he learned to reply immediately to those names, but sometimes he still felt slightly awkward.

Sitting on the rafters of his three-story tall gym, Falkner talked to his bird Pokémon, having a day of down time so far. The sun shone through the skylights and illuminated the neatly pruned plumage of the birds surrounding the teenage boy.

"Falkner-san! There's someone at the door!"

Falkner looked down from the rafters to see the young man addressing him. It was Toki, the gym trainer that was closest to Falkner in age, and a bit taller. The brunette had graduated from the Trainer's School of Violet City a year ago and was also the only one of Falkner's three gym trainers that called him by his name.

"A challenger?" Falkner hollered down at Toki from the rafters.

"No, I don't think so" Toki yelled back. "I think it's a gym leader."

"A what?" Falkner exclaimed in surprise, starting to climb down from the rafters by a few steel beams that held it up. Gym leader? Falkner wasn't expecting anyone.

"Is it okay if I let him in?"

"Sure."

The brunette ran to the door, said a few words to the guest, and returned with the other man.

"Hey, Bluebird." Morty waved at his lover, who froze in mid-step climbing down from the rafters upon hearing the deep voice of the blonde. Unable to keep his balance with only one foot, Falkner slipped and fell the rest of the way to the floor and hit it with a thud. Luckily, he was only a few feet above the ground when Morty surprised him.

_Yeah, they definitely shouldn't have put Elegant on that sign…_Falkner thought to himself in pain.

"Are…are you okay, Falkner-san?" Toki stammered, running to attend to his boss.

"I'm fine…" Falkner grumbled in irritation and embarrassment, his head on the ground and rump in the air. Morty just stood over Falkner chuckling, while Toki just looked at both of the leaders in confusion.

"That's an interesting side of you, Bluebird." Morty said, winking. Falkner bit his lip.

"Why can't you call before you come over like a normal person?" Falkner muttered, moving to get up from his position of failure.

"Because that wouldn't be nearly as much fun" Morty smirked, offering a hand to Falkner. The younger gym leader reluctantly took it, and Morty pulled Falkner onto his feet, and right into his arms. For a second Falkner relished in the feeling of Morty's embrace, but then he remembered that Toki was in the room too. Pushing Morty away, Falkner addressed Toki.

"The gym's closed for the day" Falkner said, waving his hand dismissively at Toki. "Do whatever you want."

The gym trainer took another confused look at the two boys, nodded in agreement, and hastily made his exit.

* * *

><p>"So," Falkner said once they were alone. "<em>Why<em> are you here, again?"

"Do I need a reason?" Morty asked, embracing Falkner.

"Well…" Falkner said, overtaken by the hold. "Not really, but…"

"But what?" Falkner paused. Did this really matter? Morty was here. Morty. His boyfriend. His face buried in Morty's chest, Falkner inhaled the familiar scent. It was Morty. It didn't matter why he was here. All that mattered was that Falkner was in his embrace. They were in their own little world of two again, and Falkner was overjoyed.

"Nothing" Falkner murmured, returning the hug and nuzzling against Morty. "The reason doesn't matter. I'm just glad you're here."

Falkner looked up and the two boys' eyes met. Looking lovingly at his Bluebird, Morty leaned into a kiss, which Falkner graciously allowed. Lips met, tongues fought, hands roamed, all done by the boys to caress their lover, to feel, smell, and taste that familiar presence that they adored so much.

"I missed you," Falkner said in a breath between kisses. "Things just haven't been the same without you."

"It's only been a week" Morty retorted, smiling. "But yeah, I've missed you too. I've missed you so much."

"HIIIII, FALKNEEERRRR!"

Jumping in surprise, Falkner barely had time to react as Whitney appeared and jumped on the boys, forcing all three gym leaders to topple to the ground. Morty fell backwards as Falkner fell on top of him, with Whitney landing with a thud on Falkner's back.

Great. The Pink Haired Wonder was back too.

* * *

><p>"What are you doing here?" Falkner asked in irritation, folding his arms as he paced around the room. The three had moved to the living quarters inside the Violet City gym, which consisted of a leisure room with couches and television, a kitchen area, and a small bedroom. Some of these sections were separated by walls, some weren't. Morty was lounging on a sofa and sipping a soda as Whitney sat backwards on a chair nearby, arms and chin resting on the back of the chair.<p>

"What do you mean? I came to visit you," Whitney pouted. "You're such a whiny ingrate. Morty invited me here."

Falkner whipped his head around to glare at Morty, who quickly picked up a nearby magazine in an effort to appear to be reading, his face partially covered. He sipped on his carbonated drink.

"Figured I'd get the whole gang back together again," Morty said after a moment of silence, his face still covered by the open magazine, the Johto Trainer Enquirer. Falkner sulked in his corner, murmuring inaudible curses. He had been expecting alone time with Morty.

"Oh! Is that the new issue?" Whitney exclaimed at the magazine Morty was holding, and snatched it out of his hand. Falkner's attention was shifted now to her and the journal. He didn't remember having any magazines in his gym. And he definitely wasn't subscribed to the Johto Trainer Enquirer.

"Yep," Morty said, sitting up and sitting his drink on a nearby table. "I brought it here to show you, Falkner. It's what I wanted you both to see."

This comment made Falkner suddenly curious about the magazine. He watched Whitney scan through the pages fervently, until she finally came upon what she was looking for.

"AHA!" The girl shouted in excitement. "Falkner! Morty! Here it is!"

The two boys gathered around the triumphant and giddy girl to see the pages she was pointing at. _"Violet and Goldenrod's New Faces"_, the title read. Underneath was the subtitle _"After a period of hiatus, both cities return to the gym business with promising rookie leaders"_. The article was several pages long, and included quotes from many people, including Falkner and Whitney, as well as their pictures that Falkner did not remember posing for or allowing it to be published in print. His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out where exactly the picture came from. At least it wasn't an embarrassing photo. Suddenly it hit Falkner that now he might have to keep an eye out for paparazzi. This idea displeased him. A constant flash of light and noise of nosy people did not appeal to the blue haired teen.

Whitney, on the other hand, was ecstatic.

"Look!" she squealed. "We're total celebrities now!" She kicked her feet excitedly and smiled.

"_Falkner, the Elegant Master of Flying Pokémon_" Morty read aloud the title under Falkner's name.

"Pfft!" Whitney giggled. "THAT's your title?"

"I didn't choose it!" Falkner protested. "Someone just wrote that down and they went with it!"

"Well,_ I_ did _mine_," Whitney said proudly. She pointed at the section about her where she was labeled "_Whitney, the Incredibly Pretty Girl_".

"What?" Falkner interjected. "What kind of title is that?"

"An awesome and accurate one, that's what." Whitney said in response, still smiling smugly.

"But it doesn't say anything about your gym!" Falkner seriously did not understand this girl sometimes. How were trainers supposed to prepare for her when they didn't even know what sort of battle to expect?

"No, but it says everything about _me_." Whitney said. "Everything important, that is."

"What, that you're an idiot on an ego trip?" Falkner mumbled under his breath.

"What?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Morty said, breaking up the inevitable feud between the two newbie leaders. "Honestly, in the end, it doesn't really matter what the title on the sign says. All that's important is the town and leader's name. Nobody really cares what comes afterward. I mean, it's common knowledge what towns have what type gyms. If somebody new doesn't know, I'm sure there are plenty of other ways they will naturally find out what kind of battle to expect."

"What's your title, then?" Whitney asked curiously.

"_Morty, the Mystic Seer of the Future_. Like Falkner, somebody else made the title before me and I just went along with it."

"You can see the future?" Falkner asked confusedly.

"No, not really," Morty chuckled. "The title was made by some idiot who can't tell the difference between communicating with ghosts and predicting the future."

"And the Ecruteak elders didn't throw a fit?" Falkner thought that the council of elders that Morty had to deal with was made up of a bunch of angry senile old prunes, at least from the information Morty had told him about them.

"Surprisingly, no." Morty said. "I guess they had worse things to get their diapers in a bunch about."

The trio continued chatting nonchalantly about the various aspects of their jobs as gym leaders and things that had happened over the past week. Eventually Whitney and Morty began discussing some new singer or actress that Falkner didn't know or care about, so he tuned them out and flipped through the copy of Johto Trainer Enquirer that he had discovered that Morty had brought. Apparently that was the reason that the Goldenrod and Ecruteak leaders had come to visit today, besides to just see each other and relax. Leafing through the pages, Falkner stopped on one article and stared at it, perplexed.

"What's this article talking about?" Falkner asked, interrupting his two friends. They both moved to look at the open magazine with the cobalt trainer.

"Oh, you didn't know about that?" Morty said.

"How could you NOT know about something this big?" Whitney chuckled. "You're sure ignorant sometimes, Fal-chan"

"You mean this is real?" Falkner yelled in surprise. The article he had The Enquirer open to was titled _"S.S. Anne Begins Making Regular Cruise Trips between Johto and Kanto"_. Underneath was "_The Johto gym leaders mark this special event by taking a three day cruise with passengers. Get your tickets now!"_

"Yeah, it's kinda a big deal" Whitney said in a superior tone.

"As gym leaders, we're expected to help with PR stunts like this" Morty added. "There's a similar boat leaving Vermillion City in Kanto with their eight gym leaders."

In reality, the S. S. Anne was actually a boat fleet with a dozen or so identical cruise ships. The luxury liner had always offered yearly cruises, but if you wanted to simply travel to the neighboring region, you needed to find a smaller cruise line willing to take you or board the Magnet Train from Goldenrod to Saffron. The S. S. Anne specialized in worldwide cruises that took about a month. But now they were offering to take a shorter, similar, one way cruise from Johto to Kanto or vice versa. (A round trip would also be available for a larger price) This promotional stunt, however, was just to make the new S. S. Anne cruise known. For this first voyage, they were just sailing around for three days and returning to their respective regions that they set out from. After that they'd have regular trips between Johto and Kanto.

"Ugh…" Falkner groaned. The idea of PR stunts like this was exhausting. He wasn't good with public relations, and he had never ridden a boat before, preferring to fly between towns and regions with his bird Pokémon.

"Relax, it'll be fun!" Whitney chimed in as Falkner leaned back in his chair in frustration. "It's a three day trip on the world's most famous cruise line, and we get to ride that ship for free! There'll be expensive food and wine, waiters and waitresses to wait on our every need, big beautiful luxury suites, pretty clothes, sexy sailors to flirt with, rare Pokémon to see, and all kinds of stuff!" Stars danced in Whitney's eyes as she daydreamed of the extravagant cruise that awaited them.

"Of course, we're the real part of the PR stunt" Morty stated as Whitney remained off in her own little world. "We'll be expected to interact with the other passengers and occasionally give shows and stuff like that. Still, it's a great experience that normally we'd have to pay ridiculous amounts of money for."

Although Morty and Whitney were completely sold on the idea, Falkner still wasn't too thrilled. Why had nobody told him about this before? Why were the gym leaders always forced to do things like this? The Violet city gym had only been open a week, and soon it was going to be closed again for three more days. Three days that seemed like torture to Falkner, who was also worried that he wouldn't handle the change to sea legs very well. These things never went smoothly for him. Irritated, but knowing that arguing wouldn't change a thing, Falkner glanced at the article one more time, skimming over the details of his impending aquatic hell.

"Wait." Falkner said, his gaze hovering over a certain bit of information. "We leave for this in _TWO DAYS_?"

"Yep," Morty answered calmly, watching the gears turn in Falkner's mind as he got more and more agitated. His Bluebird was silent for a moment as he tried to process all the information, but eventually just threw his head back and breathed out heavily in irritation and exhaustion.

"God damn it all." Falkner moaned, exhaling in exasperation. Morty just chuckled and put his arm around his Bluebird, rubbing his back gently as Whitney continued to remain in her dream world of the amazingness of the fast approaching cruise.

_End of Episode Fourteen: Falkner, the Elegant Master of Flying Pokémon_

* * *

><p>AN: GAAAAHHH! I HATE IT WHEN THE CHAPTER TITLE IS TOO LONG AND I HAVE TO EDIT IT TO FIT!

I've had this chapter done for a few days, but stuff kept happening that prevented me from logging on and uploading. But it's here now.

Finally, a brand new arc!

I'm happy because I've had this one planned for a while, it just took forever to successfully end the last arc.

All 8 gym leaders are gonna be in one place...that sounds kinda crazy...*rubs hands together mischeviously*

I have a LOT of things planned.

Until next time. Hopefully it won't be too long til I have something uploaded again.

On a side note, I looked at the original upload date, and it's only been 7.5 months since I started this. Wow. It feels longer.

Also, in Microsoft Word, this makes the story 69 pages.

...

*giggles immaturely*


	15. Bon Voyage!

**Chapter Fifteen: Bon Voyage!**

Falkner hated crowds. He _really_ hated crowds. It had nothing to do with claustrophobia; Falkner just disliked having his personal space constantly violated by thousands of strangers as they blocked his way. Yet here he was struggling to sift through the crowd in the port city of Olivine, the mass of trainers and townspeople alike here to catch a glimpse of the eight Johto gym leaders and the 5,000 lucky passengers that would accompany them on their three-day cruise. Falkner didn't quite understand the majestic awe with which the gym leaders like himself were revered with. They were all just normal people living normal lives; that just happened to run the eight gyms in the region. It wasn't even like they were the strongest trainers in the region. That was the Elite Four and Pokémon League Champion at the Indigo Plateau. Sure, the gym leaders had to be strong, but they occasionally lost to stronger trainers that would pass through their towns. That was the whole point of the Johto Pokémon League, to test and mark the strongest trainers in the region. The gym leaders were merely the ones giving the test. And you don't revere your teacher simply because he or she has the red grading pen. Yet all this fuss was created over completely normal people.

Well, Falkner didn't know about normal. From his experience, the gym leaders all seemed pretty eccentric and nutty. Maybe "normal" wasn't the right word. But they sure weren't gods or anything.

Speaking of eccentric idiots, Falkner was currently having his ear talked off by one of them as they meandered through the town together. _Whitney_. Falkner groaned in irritation as he tried to tune her out. He was hoping to avoid her as long as possible before the cruise. It was actually pretty incredible that she happened to find him in this gigantic crowd. Well, maybe not as incredible as one would think. Falkner _did_ make his entrance upon his giant Pidgeot, the crowd forced to open up as he descended into the town. Maybe he shouldn't have been so showy coming into town. Maybe he shouldn't have flown through the air on a massive freaking bird Pokémon. But it was just what he was used to doing; he wasn't trying to make a show of it.

"And so I decided to bring my new bikini to show off on the cruise! I mean it's not every day I get a chance to showcase myself on such a large platform!" Whitney laughed happily. She had been talking nonstop since she found him in the town square for what seemed like forever ago. They were currently attempting to make their way to the dock.

"Uh huh…" Falkner moaned absentmindedly. This had been his reoccurring monotone reply to all the nonsense that The Pink Haired Wonder had been babbling about since they found each other. And she was so worked up about their luxury cruise that she didn't seem to notice the bird trainer's inattention.

"And I made sure to give my Jigglypuff a nice haircut and massage so she can look her best for all the people! Oh! And Miltank was groomed too, and she gave out better Moomoo milk than usual, which I had all my Pokémon drink to help their health and appearance. Because I want everyone to look their absolute best for their big debut! Well, not their actual debut, I had a couple of challengers last week. But this is the first time they'll be seen by so many people, and I want the entire Johto region to see exactly how beautiful and adorable all of my Pokémon are!"

"Uh huh…" Falkner repeated mindlessly. The Violet City gym leader canvassed the crowd for any distraction from his teenage counterpart that had been leading him by the hand for the past forever and a half. Some of the mob of people looked at the duo surprisingly, a few of them probably recognizing the gym leaders. But most of the flock of people around them just walked by without a glance. Even though they were now "huge celebrities" as Whitney called herself and Falkner, in reality not too many people had seen and memorized their faces yet. It would most likely take the better part of a year before they truly become public icons anywhere except their respective cities. This, as Morty pointed out, was part of the reason for this cruise, besides promoting the S.S. Anne's new bi-weekly trips to other regions. Falkner hated it when he argued with Morty and Morty was right.

"Look! There's the S.S. Anne!" Falkner shifted his eyes to where Whitney was pointing, her voice quivering with excitement. In front of them was a large white cruise ship with blue pinstripes and the name _S.S. Anne_ written on it in extravagant lettering. The boat was tethered down to the dock, and people were already beginning to board the ship via a platform of stairs extending from the ship to the wooden planks beside it. The ship was monstrously large, easily ten times as big as a small hotel. Falkner guessed it would have to be huge to house 5,000 patrons, as well as eight gym leaders and staff to support them all. On the dock was a long banner reading _Welcome, Johto Gym Leaders_. Beside it were several colorful flags billowing gently in the slight salty breeze.

"Hey, Whitney! Bluebird!"

Falkner and Whitney looked up in unison with a large amount of the crowd to see Morty's waving figure on the ship's deck.

"Get on board, you two!" Morty shouted.

The two began to push through the crowd as conversation buzzed throughout the masses. The original murmur soon became shouts of exclamation and surprise.

"Hey, isn't that Morty, the leader of Ecruteak?"

"Yeah, I think it is! Who's he calling to?"

"Is it those two kids right there?"

"Who are they?"

"Wait, they look familiar…"

"I don't recognize them."

"Wait, isn't the boy Walker's son?"

"Walker? Violet's former gym leader?"

"Does that mean that he's the new gym leader that was inducted recently?"

"Oh my God!"

"I think you're right!"

"That's the Violet City gym leader!"

"That means the girl must me the new Goldenrod gym leader!"

"Hillary?"

"No, her name's Whitney, you idiot."

"They look awfully young to be gym leaders."

"Azalea's leader is much younger."

"Most of the gym leaders are fairly young."

"Oh my god, it's the rookie gym leaders!"

"Quick, take a picture!"

Falkner watched as half of the crowd stepped back to allow easier travelling for the young leaders, and the other half mobbed closer, attempting to get a better look at the kids. The resulting chaos was people pushing and shoving, yelling and squealing, with Falkner and Whitney struggling to make it through unscathed. Suddenly a man in a suit with slicked back hair and thick glasses pushed through the throng of people in front of Falkner, who had now taken the lead with Whitney in tow.

"Hi." The man said, extending his hand to a surprised Falkner. "My name's Smith. I'm designated to be your guide to the cruise. Take my hand."

Before Falkner had a chance to respond, the man grabbed the blue haired boy's wrist forcefully and began navigating the duo through the crowd.

"Back away and give these kids room to breathe, please!" The man called Smith shouted at the surrounding people as he power walked assertively into the mass of Olivine residents and visitors. "The gym leaders will be more than happy to talk to you once they are onboard the ship!"

Falkner just stared in surprise as somehow the well-dressed man managed to subdue the people, and suddenly they were moving at a fast pace toward the boat, an isle being made in the crowd as Smith pushed through. Whitney snickered and Falkner turned to her questioningly.

"See?" she said. "I told you we were celebrities."

* * *

><p>"Thank you for choosing to sail with us today at the S.S. Anne. We hope that your cruise will be a delightful one."<p>

Falkner stared at the two sailors saluting him as he reached the stairs to board the boat. More special treatment that Falkner wasn't used to nor comfortable with.

"Um…no problem…" Falkner stammered. "Thank you for your service to us…" The two teenage leaders passed by their attendant and greeters onto the steps and began to board the boat.

"You're not supposed to actually respond to them, Fal-chan," Whitney whispered into his ear slightly admonishingly, again being the one to lead Falkner. "It's just a formality."

* * *

><p>"Hey, nice to see you two again!" Morty greeted his two friends as they reached the top of the stairs to the boat. "You sure took your time getting here."<p>

"The crowd was crazy." Falkner replied as Whitney let go of his hand and stepped onto the boat. Falkner went to do the same, and nearly fell over by the sudden movement of the floor underneath him.

"You okay?" Morty asked as Falkner flailed to stay balanced. Grabbing the side of the railing, Falkner stayed on his feet and eventually let go.

"Yeah, I'm just not used to being on a boat."

"Geez, Falkner!" Whitney sighed. "The boat hasn't even started moving yet and you already can't stand!"

"Hey!" Falkner replied. "I've never been on a boat before! This is all so new to me."

"You'll get used to it," Morty said reassuringly as he patted Falkner on the back softly. "Oh, Whitney. They're giving out free appetizers over there."

"Really? Count me in!" Whitney happily trotted over in the direction Morty pointed in, and then the two boys were alone again. Relatively speaking, that is.

"Everything these past few weeks just seems so weird and foreign to me…" Falkner said worriedly. "I feel like I'm never gonna start fitting in with this gym leader thing…"

"Relax; it's new to everybody at first." Morty said, putting his arm around his Bluebird. "You'll start feeling confident about it soon enough."

"How soon is that?"

"Soon enough. It's a gradual thing. Now come on. Let's go inside before Whitney eats all the food rations for the next three days."

Falkner chuckled and leaned up against Morty's embrace as they turned to walk into the boat. At least with Morty here, hopefully things wouldn't be too awful.

* * *

><p>Eventually all of the gym leaders and guests arrived, and the opening ceremony began. It was a long, drawn out process, full of speeches, cheers, and promises of grandeur. The gym leaders stood up onstage for all of it as the announcers rambled. A few of the leaders gave a few words to the crowd, but luckily Falkner didn't have to do anything except not fall over from nervousness. Whitney gave a quick shout to the crowd though, as did Morty. Many of the gym leaders did, and then everyone was dismissed as the cruise was about to take off. With a blow of the horn and a cutting of the rope tied to the dock, the S.S. Anne was off on its three day cruise.<p>

Fifteen minutes into the cruise, Falkner was busy leaning over the railing losing what little lunch he had managed to swallow down before the ship had left. Morty stood beside him supportively, his hand on Falkner's back as the boy's body heaved repeatedly, slightly discoloring the sea directly below them with his vomit, but only for a second.

Falkner wanted to cry. Some gym leader he was. He couldn't even stand on a boat for a quarter of an hour without losing his dignity and his lunch. Forget Pokémon battles, Falkner couldn't even win a fight with the slight bob and weave of the waves. Soon enough Falkner emptied his stomach about as much as he possibly could, and stood up from the railing, Morty supporting the slightly staggering boy with one arm. Falkner wanted to hug Morty and cry, but he was afraid that he would throw up onto his boyfriend, so he stayed an arm's length away. Also his breath smelled really bad now.

"Here, have this." Falkner turned to a smiling girl with a glass of some greenish liquid in it. She seemed completely unfazed by Falkner's unceremonious upchucking of every bit of leaderly respect in his body, and the boy wondered if she was quite sane.

"Thanks, Jasmine" Morty said, taking the glass, knowing that Falkner was not in the mood to entertain others and it would probably be quicker if he aided things.

"It's supposed to help calm seasickness" Jasmine said with a continued smile, directing her words at both boys. "I got it from the pharmacy in Cianwood along with a bunch of other items last time I was shopping for Amphy."

"Falkner, drink it." Morty said, handing the glass to his lover. Falkner reluctantly took it and eyed the mysterious liquid inside of it. It looked nasty. Falkner had a policy of not drinking anything murky and green, because it would probably be disgusting. Well, he decided just that moment to obtain that policy, but he still had it now nonetheless. But the boat continued rocking and suddenly his stomach became queasy again. So the bird trainer hesitantly raised the glass to his mouth, closed his eyes, and swallowed.

It was the most revolting thing he had ever tasted, and the mere taste made him want to vomit. Within a second Falkner was bent over the railing again, opening up his throat and preparing for the inevitable. And yet it never came. Within a few moments the nausea began to fade, and Falkner stood up away from the railing, a puzzled look on his face.

"See?" Jasmine said happily. "Herbal medicines may not look or taste great, but the man in Cianwood sure knows his stuff!"

"Thank you, Jasmine." Morty repeated with a smile. Falkner looked up at his lover with surprise as the ghost trainer gazed at the girl with a look of sincere gratitude and happiness.

"No problem. I used to have problems with seasickness myself, so I understand it. I'm glad I could help."

Falkner watched as the two began conversing quaintly, and could only marvel at the situation. Normally Morty seemed happy to the average person. But usually that was a front. Yet here he seemed actually happy to see her, a look Falkner had come to assume only was shown to him. And for some reason, anger started boiling inside the young boy. Confusedly, he watched the two talk for a while, and then Morty excused himself and Jasmine from Falkner to walk away, leaving Falkner standing by the railing alone. The anger would have made the boy nauseous, had the tonic Jasmine gave him not have done such a wonderful job of subduing his stomach. And at this moment Falkner wasn't sure whether he was thankful or upset about it.

_End of Chapter Fifteen: Bon Voyage!_

* * *

><p>AN: OOOOOHHHHHH! Romantic turmoil! Falkner can be so possessive.

I've never actually been on a boat before.

Well my computer broke AGAIN. So this was put on hiatus AGAIN. It always seems to bust right when I'm in the middle of a chapter, so I can't just start a new one somewhere else. Well eventually I got fed up of waiting, so for you guys, I just scratched the original half of this chapter I wrote that's on my broken computer, and rewrote a new chapter today.

I have some really interesting things planned for the next few chapters. I can't wait.

Expect more drama via Falkner because, well, that's what he's best at.

Til next time!

...

Does anyone actually take the time to read these things? I know when I read stuff, I usually don't...(I'm such a hypocritical writer...*sobcries*)


	16. Don't Rock the Boat

**Episode Sixteen: Don't Rock the Boat**

"She's Jasmine; she runs the gym in Olivine." Morty said in between bites of food. The day had gone by fairly uneventfully for the gym leaders. They had not been asked much on the first day, and it was now evening. The boys sat alone at a table in a huge dining hall filled with people, their chatter reverberating off the high ceiling of the huge room. The room was illuminated with a pale yellow light from extravagant glass chandeliers that fell onto the one hundred round tables covered in decorated white lace tablecloth, which was now covered in silver plates piled with food and glasses of champagne. Surprisingly the two boys were placed at a table near a wall and not the center of attention that Falkner had assumed they'd be forced into becoming. Falkner noticed some of the other gym leaders sitting at various tables, also similarly not in the limelight, though there were small crowds of people congregating near their tables. But it was still a relatively dignified affair, and for that, Falkner was pleased.

But as for the subject of conversation, Falkner was not happy at all.

"Oh," Falkner answered dismissively, continuing to focus his attention on his plate as he elegantly cut and ate his meal. The chorus of noise around them and the passengers' general inattentiveness to them helped keep their conversation mostly private.

"Jasmine's an old friend." Morty continued. "At one time we were the only teenage gym leaders in Johto, so we kinda gravitated toward each other out of necessity to find common ground."

"Mmhmm." Falkner mumbled through a mouthful of food. His eyes were still focused downward as he twirled pasta around his fork.

"As just friends, of course" Morty added to his previous statement.

"Mmm." Falkner was now down to one-syllable responses, preferably as uncaring and cold as possible. He put his utensils down and began to fix his hair.

"She's really a nice girl," Morty said. "I haven't talked to her in quite a while, other than the occasional hello at meetings."

"Huh."

Morty narrowed his eyes in slight frustration. Falkner's relatively-silent treatment was getting old really fast.

"So you don't have to be so jealous" Morty said with a hint of irritation. He was tired of ignoring the giant Hippopotas in the room.*

"What?" Falkner responded with somewhat more emotion than he had been placing in his other comments. He still didn't look at Morty.

"She's just a friend. I don't like her like that."

"You sure?" Falkner asked in a faked tone of indifference.

"_Of course I'm sure_!" Morty said forcefully. He was careful not to yell too loudly in this crowded room, but his voice still became substantially louder.

"Well you sure seemed pretty chummy for someone that's just a friend," Falkner hissed, his uncaring persona thrown to the side.

"What, I'm not allowed to have friends?"

"You left me fifteen minutes after the cruise started and I didn't see you all day!" Falkner said, bringing his fist down hard on the table.

"I was catching up with her! I told you I haven't seen her in a while!"

"Does catching up include making out with her in the corner?"

"Now you're just making things up!"

"Well how can I know what you did with her all day?"

"How about _asking_ me, or giving me a little trust?"

"_I'm_ your _boyfriend_." Falkner exclaimed, emphasizing certain words. "And you just left me without a word of explanation or goodbye."

"You're the one who told me repeatedly that you didn't want me being public about that!" Morty yelled back. "You specifically told me before we left for this cruise to not, under any circumstances, let others know we were dating."

"So you just go off with _her_ instead?"

"What the hell did you expect me to do? You were sick and in a bad mood! I wasn't just going to send her away!"

"Well sorry I'm such a pain to be around, then!" Falkner said, standing up abruptly in anger.

"You only are when you're acting like this!" Morty said. He took a breath to say some more, but looked around and noticed that some people had begun looking their way. While Morty hoped that they were quiet enough that their lover's tiff wouldn't have been clear enough that the guests heard what exactly what they were talking about, it was still not good.

"You should probably go," Morty sighed. "What with you not wanting us seen as a couple. I'm gonna leave the hall in a minute too."

"Fine!" Falkner said, turning around in a huff and striding out the door. He understood what Morty was saying, but it didn't calm him down any. Still, he composed himself enough to hide some of his anger. There were whispers and murmurs as he left, but as Morty hoped, the majority of the crowd hadn't noticed a thing. And the ones that had weren't able to tell exactly what they were talking about. They were safe for now, at least from the public.

Gathering himself, Morty sat at the table and waited until his breathing was back to normal and his face had returned to its usual complexion. He put his head in his hands and sighed in anguish. He had been hoping that this would be a sort of vacation for him and Falkner. But as per usual, they couldn't seem to go very long without fighting.

* * *

><p>"Are you okay?" Whitney asked.<p>

"For the millionth time, I'm _fine_." Falkner insisted. After storming out of the dining hall, the bird trainer had gone to the outside deck of the boat for some air. When he returned, the rest of the boat had finished their dinner and were amassing in various places. Falkner didn't see Morty anywhere, or Jasmine, but he did bump into Whitney. Upset and lonely, the cobalt teen was suddenly grateful for any friendly companionship, even from The Pink Haired Wonder. The two of them had eventually come to an unpopulated lounge and game room, and they settled on one of the couches near a television. Falkner had flipped through the channels, but nothing had caught his eye.

"I had figured you'd be with Morty" Whitney said. Falkner hadn't told her of the fight he had with the ghost trainer, and he didn't plan on enlightening her. He was too embarrassed, and he sure as hell wasn't going to break down and confide in Whitney of all people.

"Nah," Falkner answered dismissively. "He's hanging out with some other people."

"Really? Who?"

"I dunno."

The two continued to attempt friendly small-talk, but eventually that ended and Falkner began flipping through channels again. He found a show that wasn't completely horrible and watched a bit of it, until he got bored and switched to another channel.

"Hey," Whitney said, sitting up and gesturing to a nearby ping pong table. "Wanna play?"

"Sure" Falkner shrugged, turning off the television. Maybe it could take his mind off of Morty.

Morty leaned over the railing of the S.S. Anne, watching the sky grow darker and stars appear, their twinkling points of light being reflected off of the dark water that covered the horizon. The blonde rubbed his eyes tiredly. He wanted to pursue Falkner, but Morty knew that there was nothing he could do but wait for his lover to simmer down a bit. Falkner was inconsolable when he got like this. So the Ecruteak leader just bided his time, watching the occasional Tentacool or Goldeen come near the surface, or a Wailord breach in the distance.

* * *

><p>"You all by yourself tonight?"<p>

Morty turned his head to see Jasmine walking up to him. She was normally a very shy girl, but once you got to know her, she opened up somewhat. Morty had passed that point long ago, and so he and she were pretty friendly. But he still didn't have any romantic interest in Jasmine, and he was sure that she only saw him as a friend as well. If only Falkner could see that.

"Yeah, unfortunately." Morty chuckled slightly. "Are you uninterested in the festivities too?"

"I grew up in Olivine," Jasmine said. "The sea is normal for me, and while the party seems nice…there are too many people inside."

"True." Morty knew that Jasmine hated crowds. Truly, he guessed that Whitney, Bugsy, and Chuck were the only Johto gym leaders that adored attention. Morty found it amusing sometimes, but tonight he just wanted to be away from all the lights and music.

"What happened to the boy you were with earlier today? Falkner, wasn't it?"

"Eh, he's off doing his own thing. He's a moody kid."

"Did you two have a fight?"

"Something like that" Morty answered. Jasmine could be very perceptive sometimes.

"Is everything okay?" Jasmine asked worriedly.

"Hopefully," Morty said, half reassuring her and half himself. "It usually ends up fine in the end. The only question is how long it'll take."

* * *

><p>In hindsight, playing ping pong on a rocking boat was probably not the best idea that Whitney and Falkner had ever had. The boat always bobbed at the worst times, making it hard to aim, and even harder to counter. The hollow ping pong ball had flown all over the place, hitting the both of them a few times. But neither one of the duo was exactly a professional at the game either.<p>

"That…was a bad idea" Falkner said, rubbing his cheek with his hand where the ball had hit him particularly hard. The game had eventually ended after Falkner slipped while swinging due to the movement of the waves, and hit his head on a table behind him.

"I'm sorry" Whitney said.

"It's not your fault" Falkner sighed. Despite all the chaos, the game had been fairly fun.

"I won that game, though." Whitney said triumphantly.

"What? As if! I was winning by two points when we stopped!"

"All that head trauma must've scrambled your brain, Fal-chan. I totally won that game by three points, and you know it."

"Liar! And if I did happen to lose, which I didn't, it would be because of the boat rocking."

"Sore loser" Whitney laughed, sticking out her tongue.

Falkner stopped in mid-breath to hear a clock nearby strike ten. Had they really been in the game room for so long?

"Wow, ten o'clock?" Whitney said, thinking like Falkner.

"I had no idea it was so late." Falkner said. "Where are we supposed to go for our beds?"

"They have a suite set up for us," Whitney said. "I think it was somewhere on the second floor. I think I wrote it down."

Whitney rummaged through her pockets and in a moment she pulled out a folded piece of paper. Unfolding and inspecting it, she handed it to Falkner.

"Here," the girl said. "We're divided into four rooms in the luxury suite."

"Let me see…" Falkner said absentmindedly as he grabbed and inspected the sheet of paper. He really should keep tabs on fairly important information like this. For a moment the teen frustratedly admonished the world for conspiring against him, until the sensible side of his mind realized that if he had been paying more attention today, he probably would've gotten this information.

Falkner began scanning the page, until his eyes fell on one particular line, and his blood ran cold.

"_What_?" Falkner reacted in surprise. Confused at his reaction, Whitney moved behind her friend in order to tell what he was reading.

"These…these are the room arrangements?" Falkner asked, praying that he was misreading something. Something _had_ to be wrong.

"Yeah," Whitney answered, not understanding Falkner's surprise.

"But…this has…the rooms…the rooms are…"

"Yeah, that's the rooms," Whitney stated definitively. "You and Bugsy are in room 301, with Chuck and Claire beside you in 303. Across the hall are Morty and Jasmine in 302 and me and Pryce in 304."

Falkner screamed in frustration, throwing the paper in the air and flopping onto a nearby couch.

"The. FUCK!" Falkner exclaimed explicatively. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THESE ROOMS!"

He just couldn't stand it. Morty and Jasmine. They were going to be living in the same room. Together. Doing Arceus knows what.

Some cruise _this_ was turning out to be.

* * *

><p>"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"<p>

Falkner winced as he heard Bugsy scream for what seemed like the fiftieth time in the past hour. The two boys were in their room, and Falkner's original plan was just to go immediately to sleep and ignore Bugsy.

Except Falkner's plans never seemed to work, so why would they now?

"This room is so big and fancy!" Bugsy yelled excitedly as he dashed around to inspect every possible facet and crevice of the luxury suite that he and Falkner were now residing in. It was definitely a very nice room, and probably cost more money than Falkner could ever imagine making. There were two large beds, each big enough to fit at least three people on comfortably. There was an adjoining bathroom, living room, and a relatively decent kitchen area. Each room was incredibly spacious and decorated richly with art and designs. In the living room there were two couches and two lounge chairs seated around a chat table and flat screen television. Placed around the room were small speakers for a full-surround sound experience. There was a fake fireplace on one side and a bookshelf dotted with random reading material. The bathroom had a large tub with a door-like hinge to allow a person to just walk in, provided they did it before filling the tub with water. A curtain hung on a rod over the edge for shower use, and a large illuminated mirror showed any and everything you needed to check to primp and prepare for the day. The kitchen had a mini-fridge and a pantry with some more common type snacks and foods, as well as a table with seats for four. It really was a nice room.

"Hey, Falkner, look at this!" Bugsy exclaimed, pointing to a rather large picture depicting various scenes of Pokémon in nature. It looked very well done and rather expensive.

"Yeah, that's pretty cool," Falkner said soullessly, trying to ignore the boy the best he could. Falkner had only seen Bugsy a couple of times in the past, and had always been shocked that a child so young could become a gym leader. Supposedly he was incredibly smart and talented, and was widely considered a child protégée with a bright future. But at the same time, he still was a child, and as Falkner could see, got overexcited and hyperactive like many children.

As Bugsy ran to inspect something else in the room, Falkner turned and sighed tiredly. He looked down, inspecting his pajamas. He was clad in a sky blue t-shirt with a Pokéball on it and similarly colored pants with white clouds. The bird trainer wiggled his bare feet and leaned back onto the bed as he became lost in thought. So far this trip had been a disaster. He hadn't spent any time with Morty, and when they were together, they were fighting. Falkner felt slightly bad about the things he said to his boyfriend, but at the same time still wasn't sure what to make of Jasmine or quite ready to forgive the ghost trainer. Jasmine seemed nice, but Falkner didn't know her. And she seemed _very_ friendly with Morty. Too friendly for Falkner. Morty often kept a cool front up, but rarely did the blue haired boy see his blonde counterpart as relaxed as he did around Jasmine. This girl just came up out of the blue and jumped in between the boys. Falkner then realized that although he was dating Morty, he really didn't know a lot about him. Sure, they had sat and talked a lot, and Falkner felt really happy with him; but in reality they hadn't even known each other for more than a month. Was that really wise to be dating someone so new to you? Falkner wasn't sure anymore… Turning onto his side, Falkner pondered until he heard a crash coming from the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Falkner asked, jumping to his feet and running into the tiled yellow kitchen. Bugsy was sitting on the floor with food boxes piled around him, a few dented and ripped open. The bug trainer was in the middle of the floor, tears in his eyes, rubbing his head in pain.

"I was trying to get something from the pantry," Bugsy moaned in pain. "But I couldn't reach. So I climbed up on the counter and slipped."

"Jeez…" Falkner sighed, bending down to pick up the food. Luckily, most of the items weren't damaged and the mess on the floor was of dry food and fairly easy to sweep up. Bugsy tried to help, but tripped again on the hard tile floor due to his fuzzy pajama socks. Eventually Falkner hoisted him up and led him to the table.

"_I'll_ do it. You sit here. Tell me what you want and I can get it."

"I want…some of those gummies in the cabinet…" Bugsy hiccupped sheepishly, trying to hold in tears from the pain of his falls. Falkner swept the remains of the mess into a dustpan, reached into the cabinet and pulled a packet of gummy snacks from a box.

"Here," Falkner said tiredly. "Now don't make a mess." Bugsy nodded as he ripped open the packet and started chewing on a gummy red Weedle.

"Thenk yeh" Bugsy said through a mouthful of food. Falkner nodded in reply and sat down at the table as well.

Watching the purple haired child munch on snacks, the teen's mind wandered again back to Morty. What was he doing right now? Falkner had seen Morty in the hallway as they entered their rooms, but Falkner pretended not to notice. Were he and Jasmine still up, he wondered? Or were they…suddenly Falkner's mind began to wander into territories he did not want to think about involving Jasmine and Morty and a dimly lit bedroom. The Violet City leader angrily pushed the thoughts out of his head, but the irritation from it stayed.

Soon enough the two young gym leaders went to bed for the evening, and again Falkner was left to his thoughts as he stared at the unfamiliar ceiling of the lavish S.S. Anne. Why was he even here? Could he really stand the rest of this trip?

Rolling over, he tried to go to sleep. He had to continue with this. What other choice did the boy have? They were already afloat and decently far from land. Closing his eyes, Falkner waited for sleep, feeling the constant rock of the waves move the boat. Nothing was ever still on the boat, due to the current. The waves just kept everything stirred up. Including Falkner's irritation and confusion with his lover.

* * *

><p>*Poképun from the phrase "ignoring the elephant in the room", which refers to a situation where people have a huge issue, but try to ignore it and act pleasant, only to make it more awkward and irritating. There isn't an elephant Pokémon (yet), so I just used a Pokémon based off of a similar animal that was equally large and smelly.<p>

_End of Episode Sixteen: Don't Rock the Boat_

* * *

><p>AN: WOW it's been FOREVER. So. Yeah. Stuff. Honestly it's been so long, I wasn't sure if I was going to come back to this story. Really, I wasn't planning on it. BUt I changed my mind. For you guys. Really. SO APPRECIATE IT, DAMN IT. I will keep writing, when I can. I'm sorry about the wait.

I rewrote this chapter about five times both before and after my hiatus. I really don't like it that much. But that's because I kinda would've changed a little bit of the flow of the previous chapter if it hadn't been out for so long. Oh well. It's doable. It'll get better, I promise. I'm a little out of practice and I had to reread the whole story to remember the flow.

Oh, and I do have ideas for at least two more arcs after this. (This being the second arc, chapters 1-12 being the first arc.) BY THE WAY, in this arc Morty and Falkner WILL have TEH SEX. Like none of the half-assed stuff they've only done so far. SO BE EXCITED. It's maybe...2...3...4 chapters til that? Somewhere in that range.

This chapter sucks because I really wasn't in the romance mood when I wrote it. Or even a fighting mood. I normally don't have trouble channeling Falkner, but it's just been so long.

Let's play the game "Let's See Who Can Tell Where Sharpened Moonlight Left Off At During His Hiatus". It feels so blatantly obvious to me...I wanted to edit this chapter more but kept failing and was like FINE. Get the awkward chapter out of the way and then we'll be back in business.

God, I'm even more talkative than normal.

Sorry.


	17. I Rocked the Boat

**Episode Seventeen: I Rocked the Boat**

"YOU DAMN HAIRY APE! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM AND DON'T COME BACK!"

"FUCK YOU! WHO'D WANNA GET WITH A HIDEOUS REPTILE LIKE YOU ANYWAY? DON'T FLATTER YOURSELF!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

Falkner groaned as he heard screaming in the suite beside him. It was Claire and Chuck, the gym leaders of Blackthorn and Cianwood, respectively. Both of them were quick tempered and had a history of fighting, so honestly it was no surprise that they were at each other's throats. What was the organizer of this event thinking, putting such fiery and angry people in such a room together?

Unfortunately, Falkner hadn't been lucky enough to be merely woken up by the crazed argument beside his room. No, the Violet City gym leader had awoke twenty minutes earlier to Bugsy hopping on Falkner's bed to wake the older boy up.

* * *

><p>"Ugh…<em>WHAT<em>. What is it you could POSSIBLY want?" Falkner had moaned in irritation upon being bounced up and down on his mattress from the leaps of the bug trainer.

"It's time to get up!" Bugsy had said enthusiastically, still jumping.

"Did you _have_ to wake me up like this?" Falkner snapped. He attempted to sit up in his bed, but the constant movement of the plush bed made it difficult to maintain stability as he was still half asleep. Eventually Falkner grabbed the excited boy and forced him to stand still.

"FINE. I'm up," he muttered, glaring with dark bags under his eyes. "Now go take a shower and leave me be."

* * *

><p>That had been twenty minutes ago, and Falkner was now up and about, groggily setting out clothes for the day and sifting through his things. Bugsy was taking his time in the shower, it seemed. It was then that he was startled by the explosion of noise on the other side of his bedroom wall. Part of the teen's mind wanted to go over and yell at the idiot pair to shut up, but the more logical and sane section decided that it would be a complete waste of time, as nothing short of a legendary Pokémon's force could calm the fury of the two gym leaders. Falkner told himself to stay away from the conflict, as he rather liked being alive sometimes, and being mauled and murdered in the collateral damage from two infuriated monsters was not on his list of things to do today.<p>

Tired of waiting for his turn and doing his best to ignore the thuds and bangs accompanying the screaming in the nearby room, Falkner strode over to bathroom, rapping lightly on the door with his fist.

"Bugsy, you almost done in there?" the boy asked through the door.

"Yeah, just a minute!" the child answered loudly from behind the door. Falkner heard the water cease running followed by footsteps as Bugsy removed himself from the warm shower and began to dry himself with a plush tower.

Falkner walked away from the bathroom door to give the kid a few minutes to do his business. Strolling back into the bedroom, Falkner saw his Pokégear light up and vibrate as he got a message. He picked it up and examined the device as he sat down on his bed. It was from Morty.

_Morning Bluebird. You coming down to the dining hall soon for breakfast?_

_Callback #: ***-***-****_

_Received at 7:22 AM_

Oh. So Morty was going to pretend to be cordial and as if they never had a fight. Falkner thought for a moment, and decided to play along with the mood for the time being.

_Maybe._

_Sent at 7:22 AM_

_Received at 7:22 AM_

Falkner elected to keep his responses short until he properly gauged everything. Almost instantly, the Pokégear lit up again and hummed with a response.

_Maybe?_

_Callback #: ***-***-****_

_Received at 7:23 AM_

Suddenly there was another crash coming from the nearby room holding Chuck and Claire, followed by more yelling. Falkner cringed instinctively.

_Yeah, Bugsy's taking forever in the shower, and Claire and Chuck are going crazy in the room beside me._

_Sent at 7:23 AM_

_Received at 7:24 AM_

Falkner heard the bathroom door open as a towel-clad Bugsy meandered into the hallway, his purple bangs dripping in his face. Falkner hoisted himself to his feet, Pokégear in hand. As he prepared to leave for the bathroom, it vibrated once more.

_Oh I heard them earlier. I know. They're always like that_

_Callback #: ***-***-****_

_Received at 7:25 AM_

Falkner headed for the bathroom, typing as he walked.

_It's fucking annoying._

_Sent at 7:25 AM_

_Received at 7:25 AM_

"I'm done" Bugsy said, shaking his head, letting the water spatter everywhere around him.

"T-Thanks…" Falkner said, recoiling as he was mildly splashed with lukewarm droplets. He put his arm to his face in reaction and saw the Pokégear register another message.

_I'm sorry_

_Callback #: ***-***-****_

_Received at 7:25 AM_

Falkner typed one last response as he entered the bathroom and closed the door.

_It's whatever. Taking a shower now. I'll probably be down in a bit._

_Sent at 7:26 AM_

_Received at 7:26 AM_

Falkner placed his Pokégear down on the bathroom counter by the sink and began to undress. So, he guessed he was going to see Morty shortly. He wasn't quite sure what to make of his feelings as he stepped into the still-wet shower and began to drown out his emotions with the pounding of hot water.

* * *

><p>The breakfast was set up as a buffet in the same room that had housed the previous night's dinner. There were three different buffet counters containing different foods, each beside the others by the back wall of the room. Unlike the dinner, which was a scheduled event, the breakfast was set up for a several hour period and diners could enter and leave as they pleased. Because of this, Falkner didn't see any of the other gym leaders when he walked into the door with Bugsy. The entrance of the two young gym leaders caused a small commotion as murmurs and comments rumbled through the crowd and people moved to obtain better vantage points. Yet very few people walked up to disturb Falkner, most likely because everyone was still waking up and hungry. Falkner and Bugsy broke away from each other as they marched toward different buffet tables for their meals of choice. Falkner grabbed a warm plate as he arrived at one of the counters and began placing several pancakes onto it with a set of tongs designated for the fluffy browned cakes. Moving on, he scooped some eggs onto the side of the same plate with a spoon, and then grabbed a few slices of bacon. Grabbing some orange juice, Falkner deemed his breakfast complete and strolled away to find a table. Morty had said he would be in the room, but Falkner couldn't find the blonde boy anywhere. After looking for a moment, Falkner gave up and sat down at an empty table to eat by himself. What did he care? Morty was the one who had wanted to meet up.<p>

"Mind if I sit here?"

Falkner looked up from his food to see Jasmine standing at a chair sitting on the other side of the table from him. Several nasty responses instantly came to Falkner's mind, but he held his tongue and sighed.

"Sure" the teen said flatly, turning his head away as to not look her in the eye. His brow furrowed angrily. She was the last person he wanted to run into in here. Suddenly he didn't want to eat anymore. All he wanted to do was get up and leave, preferably after making some rather rude and possibly incorrect remarks about the brunette. But for some reason that Falkner could not begin to fathom, he remained polite and eventually turned back to face her, not quite with a smile, but not with the expression of anger he had just thrown over his shoulder a moment ago.

"Thank you" Jasmine said, pulling out the chair and sitting at the table draped in a white lace tablecloth. "So, did you sleep well last night, Falkner?"

"I guess," Falkner said absentmindedly as he returned to his food, chewing in between comments. "It's weird being on a boat that rocks all the time, but I guess you get used to it."

"Have you had any more problems with your seasickness?"

"No, I haven't." Falkner sat up. His nausea hadn't even crossed his mind since he had been given the medicine. Pausing for a moment, he mentally examined his body and decided that he still felt moderately fine, irritation and other moods notwithstanding.

"Well, take this just in case." Jasmine reached into a bag she had placed beside the table and pulled out a small pill bottle. She handed it to Falkner, who examined it intently. "It's the same medicine I gave you yesterday, only in pill form. The tonic usually wears off anytime between twelve to twenty-four hours after use, so just keep those with you in case you start feeling bad again."

"Thank you," Falkner murmured, shoving the bottle into his pocket, the pills making noise as they shook up against the capsule. Falkner grunted to himself as he wondered why she couldn't have given this to him yesterday instead of the disgusting tasting green mystery liquid he had originally ingested. The boy didn't like taking help from Jasmine, but he liked being seasick even less, so he stopped complaining to himself and continued eating once more.

"Where's Morty?" Falkner asked eventually after a moment of quiet chewing on both sides. "He's not with you?"

"No," Jasmine responded. "He was going to come down, but someone from the ship's crew or something pulled him aside and he ended up leaving with them. I don't know for what though."

"Oh." Falkner was slightly disappointed.

"Were you waiting for him?"

"Oh, erm…maybe."

"I see," Jasmine chuckled at the boy's poor attempt at hiding his emotions. "Well, I'm sure you'll see him soon enough today. I hear we have some sort of event to do today."

"Really? What?"

"I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that we need to be on the deck this evening, and they needed to go over something about it with Morty."

"I see."

As Falkner continued to eat and converse, it eventually crossed his mind that he was having a completely cordial and unproblematic conversation with Jasmine, who until then he had seemed to have such rage for. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all…but at the same time, Falkner still wasn't sure about her relationship with Morty, so he refused to let down his guard just yet.

Eventually, Falkner finished his breakfast and prepared to get up from the dining table and leave.

"Well, I'd better get going" Falkner said, placing his utensils in the center of his plate and shifting in his seat.

"Alright, sounds good." Jasmine replied, likewise ready to abscond from the dining hall.

"See ya," Falkner said, standing up and pushing his chair out to make room. A mutter was heard behind the chair as it hit a body behind Falkner, but the cobalt teen couldn't hear the quiet murmur.

"Oh!" Jasmine pointed at the figure behind her dining partner, but Falkner was otherwise occupied and oblivious. The boy stood up instinctively without fully noticing that his chair was obstructed by something as he tried to slide it outward. Falkner stumbled, lacking the necessary room between the chair and table to fit his body. His upper body went forward and downward as his legs tried to move back. Neither side was victorious in its attempts, and Falkner found himself falling over the table and tripping. He put his hands out to balance his body over the table, but as he did this the chair catching his legs moved backwards as the obstruction moved, taking the teen's legs out from under him. Falkner fell forward, his hands and chin hitting the table. Grabbing the tablecloth for support, Falkner dragged the white sheet with him as he slid to the floor, hitting the tile with a thud. The table, having just had a large amount of weight on one side, tipped over on Falkner's side as the other side went upward. Silverware and plates hit the floor loudly a second after Falkner, creating a large commotion as the boy winced in pain. Upon hearing the noise, the dining room fell silent and all eyes turned to face the gym leaders' table.

"Shit…" Falkner grimaced, rubbing his chin from the hit and attempting to sit up. He leaned back into a body, and the bird trainer instinctively moved away and apologized. "S-Sorry."

Falkner turned to see a Morty leaning against a wall in surprise and confusion. Falkner's first reaction was shock, and then anger as he realized that Morty must've been what his chair had made contact with to start all the problems.

"What're you doing here?" Falkner asked in irritation. "Jasmine said you-"

"Are you alright?" Morty asked in concern.

"Yeah, I guess-" Falkner responded, but was cut off as Morty moved away and made it clear that he was not addressing his boyfriend. Morty rushed over to the other end of the now upturned table where a stunned Jasmine lay on the floor, holding her forehead. Apparently, when the table had been flipped, it had hit Jasmine in the face, causing her to fall down in pain and become a second casualty in Falkner's fall from grace. Morty grabbed a cloth napkin and put his arm around Jasmine.

"T-Thank…you…" Jasmine said gratefully as Morty dabbed her slightly bleeding forehead with the cloth, staining the white fabric slightly in the process.

"Oh shit," Falkner said, seeing the damage to the older girl's face. Admittedly it wasn't much, but Falkner hadn't intended to do any harm, and tried to get up to help. He moved to a kneeling position, but upon trying to stand, his foot became caught on the tablecloth and the boy fell back to the ground with a thud, this time on his back and behind. His elbow hit one of the plates from the table, and Falkner winced.

"Ah, Falkner!" Jasmine looked over to the bumbling boy and put out an arm to help. Falkner leaned to grab it, but as he tried to pull himself up with her hand to stay steady, he pulled the steel trainer forward, and she nearly fell on her face. Morty grabbed the brunette to prevent this, and together the three eventually awkwardly made it to their feet again. Falkner glanced around and just then noticed just how many people were in the room and saw that the trio was currently the focal point of attention.

"Damn it," Falkner cursed quietly. Morty and Jasmine stood a foot away from him, Morty continuing to nurse the other's small wounds.

"Falkner, I'm sorry" Jasmine said. "I tried to point out that Morty was behind you, but it was too late."

"What were you doing behind me anyway?" Falkner scowled slightly at the blonde boy across from him, ignoring the audience around him.

"I told you I'd meet you here. I was held up and finally got down here when you ran into me."

"Well, you should've said something instead of standing there silently." Falkner admonished. He shifted his feet and was accompanied by a clank as he unintentionally kicked a plate. "Shit, I'd better get something to clean this up with."

Falkner made his way through the crowd looking for either a broom or some waitstaff attendant to help. He was given many strange and surprised looks, but put his head down and ignored everyone, his face burning red as he heard small hushed conversation. He was met by an attendant carrying a mop and bucket.

"Oh, thanks" Falkner said embarrassedly, taking the man toward the mess that had been his dining table just a moment ago. The heap of chaos was still easily found as people flocked around the mess, yet stayed a few feet away.

Two people who weren't standing there, however, were Jasmine and Morty. Falkner scanned the room and saw the ghost trainer leading the girl out the door, his arm gently around her. Where the hell were they going? Common sense told Falkner that Morty, being an occasional gentleman, was taking Jasmine to either an infirmary or her room after the spill. But all Falkner could see was that Morty had just gotten up and left him. Morty had caused all this mess, which Falkner only came to because Morty insisted. And then he left the blue boy standing like a pariah in the middle of the mess as he walked out. As he walked out with _Jasmine_. Morty always seemed to leave Falkner for Jasmine. Angrily, Falkner stomped through the crowd and walked through the door, but went the opposite way.

Screw that Morty. If he was going to ignore Falkner, then Falkner decided he wanted nothing to do with the blonde either.

_End of Episode Seventeen: I Rocked the Boat_

* * *

><p>AN: I rewrote this chapter several times. I don't like this chapter. Actually, I haven't really been pleased with anything I've posted snice about Chapter 11...it's bothersome. I'm halfway through Chapter 18 too, but again, I don't like what I've done. Oh well.

I feel like absolutely nothing has happened in the past 2 chapters.

I'm gonna try to condense and speed up events next time.

Also, I wish the people I texted responded as quickly as Falkner and Morty did.

Whenever I include Pokegear or Pokenav or anything in my stories, it's so hard to not type "phone". I always have to reread everything to make sure I didn't put cell phone or anything.

And about last chapter's "Elephant in the Room" Pokepun. I KNOW Donphan and Phanpy are elephants. I FOROGT ABOUT THEM, OKAY? STOP TELLING ME. I still think that Hippopotas is better anyway because it seems nastier and uglier and smellier to me, so I'm not changing it.

What I did change was Cinnabar to Cianwood. Thanks for alerting me to my misspell.


End file.
